Sekirei Sage
by Revan0080
Summary: The ageless Sage Naruto gets swept up in a bizarre game upon his visit to Shinto Teito and now he has to stand on the sidelines as super powered alien women fight for the sake of love and the right to ascend to the higher skies above What the heck did he just get himself into? Time for the Sage to come out of retirement.
1. Chapter 1

The ageless Sage Naruto gets swept up in a bizarre game upon his visit to Shinto Teito and now he has to stand on the sidelines as super powered alien women fight for the sake of love and the right to ascend to the higher skies above What the heck did he just get himself into? Time for the Sage to come out of retirement.

Sekirei Sage

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin.**

**Chapter 1**

6am.

Sunlight shined down on his face as he slowly roused from his slumber. Cracking his eyes open and catching a glimpse of the suns position rising from the eastern skyline he sighed in resignation, no more sleep for him. Stifling a grumble as his muscles protested his less than comfortable bedding he climbed to his feet and popped his back into place before gazing at the massive sprawling city beneath him.

Shinto Teito was truly an urban jungle as the buildings of concrete and glass stretched as far as his impressive eyesight could see. Buildings ranging from one story homes or businesses to the large sky scrapers that reached for the heavens. And rising even higher was the massive headquarters for MBI located in the center of the city, standing at least 15 stories higher than any other building in the city, it was truly a spectacle to behold. Of course for Naruto it was just an eyesore.

For the last 2 days since coming to the city Naruto has been run off, turned down and generally ignored by both prospective apartments and hotels since Naruto wasn't registered in MBI's database and consequentially had no form of ID that everyone seemed to obsess over these days. While he had a decent amount of cash on him it wouldn't last forever unless he chose to get a job or take his chances and just use his bank card. The problem with that is the attention it would bring him if he used it.

Now Naruto wasn't spiteful or anything, but he would definitely have to show them his displeasure of the whole situation at a later date. Briefly cackling with glee at the opportunity to prank someone who in his mind rightfully deserved it was a great way to distract himself from his current predicament.

Scowling Naruto reached for his meager futon that laid on the roof of the building he spent the night on he proceeded to fold both it and the thin blanket up before sealing them into an empty scroll before pocketing it and cleaned up his makeshift campsite then pulling his shirt and shoes back on and with a quick glance around to double-check he hadn't left anything behind he hopped on the roof rail then with once last evil glare at the offending MBI tower he jumped down the short (for him) distance to the street 5 stories below. Ignoring the surprised shouts of the few people up at this early hour that witnessed the seemingly super human feat he landed and then set of a casual pace to the next district over to try his luck, and maybe get some food.

Walking northwest up the street Naruto ignored the glances from the early morning commuters at his strange looks and state of dress. Standing six feet four inches with sun-kissed blonde hair spiked up on top with 2 locks that framed his face down to his chin and hair falling down to the nape of his neck in back, and bright shining cerulean eyes that seemed to glow with an inner power set above 3 pairs of what looked like whiskers on his cheeks giving him a slightly wild look. Wearing a comfortably worn tight black shirt with a red spiral printed on the chest, faded blue jeans and simple sneakers. Naruto found it both amusing and annoying that he stood out so much in this country.

**x~X~x**

After a short breakfast Naruto set back out on his task of procuring lodging for himself. He had spent the last 2 days searching the southern parts of the city with no luck so he started working his way clockwise from the city center hoping to have better luck. But as he was finding out that in his reluctance to use his only real form of ID even when he offered to pay up to 3 months in advance with cash no reputable place would even consider him and he was starting to feel distraught.

Feeling sorry for himself had never been his MO (and even when he did it never solved any of his problems before) he clapped his cheeks with both hands to re-energize himself and trudged on before he felt a disturbance in the Force, shaking his head to clear it of that stray thought he extended his awareness out looking for whatever was buzzing at the edge of his sensory zone.

Naruto stood still in the sidewalk eyes closed while trying pinpoint this feeling that was both familiar and foreign and after getting a bearing he leapt to the roof closest to him then bounded across the rooftops heading towards where he can now feel a pulse.?..wave?...echo of power that was right on the tip of his tongue but couldn't quite place it. After 10 minutes he came across the boundary of one of Shinto Teito's many preserved parks scattered around the city. Pausing on the roof across the street he took a moment to once again close his eyes and concentrate on his senses to feel out for the strange energy he.

Now that he was closer Naruto could now put a name to what he was feeling. Chakra. But he hadn't encountered a being capable of producing chakra past what was necessarily to live, much less produce it in the quantity he felt right now in over 3 thousand years. Not since he walked the earth with the last of his kind.

Excitement and confusion began to build in Naruto as he realized that there was another person in this day and age similar to him. While in his youth he was never very good at sensing chakra without his Sage Mode or his Tailed Cloak, having walked the earth for as long as he has gave him plenty of time to practice his skills. And while he could sense the chakra source in the park he couldn't quite place it. It didn't feel like any chakra source he had ever encountered before, neither that of his shinobi kin nor the biju or even jinchuuriki. But it didn't feel human either.

Grinning wildly he allowed the thrill of meeting something new propel him forward at speeds that had any normal person been watching they would have only seen a blur as he raced into the park taking to the trees as he hunted down his new point of interest. This particular park was fairly large, spanning almost a half mile long by a quarter-mile wide but that was a trivial distance to a being like Naruto so he found his target within minutes. Crouching on a tree branch 40 ft off the ground he observed the source of the chakra he had sensed.

His earlier excitement died when he gazed at the hunched form on the bench across the small walkway from him. The form was easily identified as a female, clad in only an oversized and dirty lab coat that was draped across her otherwise bare form and left open in front exposing a sizable chest while her legs were pulled up on the bench, her whole posture exuding depression. Her head was tilted down allowing her light brown hair to obscure her face but with his sharp eyes he was easily able to see the lifeless look both in her eyes and face.

Naruto felt his heart clench as he subconsciously jumped down and walked over to the depressed woman stopping only when he reached her. Now Naruto would never admit it on penalty of no more ramen for the rest of his days, but he did take a bit after Jiraiya in his appreciation of the female form, and what was currently the subject of his gaze was easily the most beautiful woman he had seen in centuries. Only her current state of dress (or lack of it) and the depressed look on her face prevented him from giving in to any of his more perverted tendencies (He was a healthy male dammit. He reserved the right to perv on hot chicks whenever he could get away with it) but now wasn't the time.

Pulling off his t-shirt he draped it across her chest and over her shoulders attempting to cover what the lab coat didn't. Only then did the beauty look up from her staring contest with the ground and meet his gaze. Steel gray eyes met cerulean blue as Naruto got a good look at woman.

"Beautiful" he whispered to himself as he gazed at her and not even her depressed state could take away from her beauty.

Blank eyes looked back at him and the woman blinked slowly as she gazed at this stranger who knelt before her and had even shed his own clothing to cover her up. Didn't he know that she was broken? That her worth was less that nothing as she couldn't be winged?

"Miss are you alright? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Naruto questioned her as it didn't look like she say anything.

"Ah..I'm here because I'm broken...unwanted. I was cast aside...never to find my Ashikabi. No one..needs me...no one wants me" she answered.

Naruto felt his heart constrict painfully as the emotion, or complete lack thereof in her voice brought back a distant echo of his past. A little boy crying alone with no family, no friends, no one comfort him. This woman also feels what he felt. That she was alone with no hope and nothing to live for.

"What makes you think you're broken?" He asked softly eyes never leaving hers.

With a slight pause she slowly reached up with one hand to part her bangs to show a strange tattoo on her forehead in the shape of a bird with a Yin/Yang symbol surrounded by 4 comma like marks.

"Ah...This means I'm broken...I can't be winged by my Ashikabi...I can't be of use to anyone." she intoned with her completely dead voice.

"I don't understand. How does that mark on your forehead mean you're broken? Is it a tattoo? A brand or birthmark?" Naruto racked his brain trying to determine if he had ever encountered a culture that marked members of their society in a similar manner.

The woman's gaze seemed to become even more depressed at his line of questioning. "This mark can't be removed...broken."

"What is your name?" he asked

"Ah...Akitsu..." she replied after a moment's pause.

"Akitsu" he repeated trying the name out. "Akitsu is a pretty name, a pretty name for a pretty lady." He replied trying to ease her in to a better mood.

"Ah...thank you" she intoned after breaking her gaze and looking back down seemingly uncertain as to how to handle his complement.

_OK, that didn't work like I wanted. _He thought.

"You mentioned a Ashikabi, what is that?" Naruto prodded gently trying to get a better understanding of her pain.

Akitsu looked reluctant to answer but after a gentle prod from Naruto she finally replied. "Ah...Ashikabi...is a Sekirei's destined one...the special person who can bring out our full potential...the one who will love us...and be with us forever.." she replied quietly visibly shrinking further into herself as she spoke about it.

"And because you have that mark on your forehead you can't find yours?" he questioned further.

"How does a tattoo prevent you from finding yours?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"Ah...a Sekirei will know when they find their Ashikabi...Their body will react in their presence...feel it deep in their heart...I'm broken.. scrapped... unable to ever react to my destined Ashikabi." She once again raised a hand and touched her forehead. "Broken" she finished quietly.

"So that mark means that you will never react to this "Special" person?" Naruto asked.

Akitsu just nodded, not bothering to reply. Head lowered to once again hide behind her upraised legs.

Naruto just knelt there thinking about this situation, considering everything Akitsu had told him. A thought slowly making its way to the forefront of his mind as he wondered if this would even work.

_If she can't find her Ashikabi I wonder if she could be claimed by one? _He thought to himself.

"If you can't "react" to your Ashikabi, could you instead be claimed by one? Could you try to find any happiness even if they're not your intended one?"

Akitsu raised her head enough to meet his gaze as she pondered why he is even bothering to ask her these questions.

_I'm broken, why would he be interested in me? Why would he ask about my happiness? Maybe he wants me? _She thought to herself trying to keep the flicker of hope from surfacing.

"Ah...no one else wanted me...I'm a scrapped number...who would want someone broken?" she replied.

Naruto once again reflected on the memories of his childhood, asking why no one liked him, why no one wanted him. Looking at her Naruto knew that he couldn't just leave her, he knew loneliness and despair and while he had later in life found everything he was looking for, he at least had a team, a village to form bonds with. It didn't look like Akitsu would have the same opportunity.

Making his decision Naruto reached out with his right hand and gently cupped her face and lifted her head to face him fully absently noting how cold she felt to his touch.

"No one is ever unwanted Akitsu. Even if you say you're broken, even if you refer to yourself as "scrapped" anyone with an ounce of humanity would be able to see beyond such labels and find something worthwhile in you."

For the first time since he met her Akitsu had a glimmer of emotion building behind her dead looking eyes. Naruto himself would probably have not been able to recognize it for what it was if he hadn't also seen that same emotion in his own in his youth. Hope.

"Ah...do.. do you see something in me?...could you find use for me?" Her voice hitched briefly as she asked the question and Naruto knew then and there that this choice was the right one.

"If you would have me Akitsu, I would be proud to be your Ashikabi." Naruto replied standing up and grabbing her hands he gently pulled her to her feet to stand before him adjusting his shirt back over her shoulders to preserve what little modesty she had in the process he noticed that she was a bit taller that the average woman in this country with her head reaching his upper chest.

Akitsu allowed herself to be pulled up and never took her eyes off of this strange man who offered to be her Ashikabi despite her "scrapped" status. Emotion swelled from deep within her as she felt the beginnings of tears forming but at the moment she couldn't care.

"Ah...You will be my Ashikabi?...you won't abandon me?" She asked Naruto, her voice filled with more emotion than he thought she was capable of, even though it twisted something deep inside him with the desperation he heard in her voice.

"I will be your Ashikabi Akitsu, I promise to not abandon you and Uzumaki Naruto never breaks his promises!" He declared with conviction eyes shining and mouth pulled into the most heartfelt smile he could pull off absently noting that it took no real effort to do so.

"Ah...then this Sekirei #07 Akitsu will be yours...now and forever..." she spoke with joy filling her heart as she reached up and pulled his head down to her level and gave him a kiss.

Naruto was too surprised with her deceleration to even notice that she was about to kiss him until it was already happening. Immediately Naruto felt a pull on his chakra reserves as is flowed from his core to his mouth then into Akitsu feeling his chakra move from her mouth and to her forehead? Before hitting what amounted to a wall then dissipating.

Pulling back from the surprising but not unwelcomed kiss Naruto turned to the beauty in his arms and asked the obvious question.

"What the hell was that?"

Akitsu seemed to deflate slightly as she turned her head back down and tried to pull away from Naruto thinking he didn't want her.

"Ah...when a Sekirei meets their Ashikabi they form a bond...through a kiss...this allows the Sekirei to become winged and emerge..."

Holding onto her hips to keep her from pulling away Naruto thought back to the feeling of his chakra being pulled from him and into Akitsu before encountering what he somehow knew to be a block in her head that should not be there. And like a slap in the face Naruto remembered Akitsu's words.

"_Ah...a Sekirei will know when they find their Ashikabi...Their body will react in their presence...feel it deep in their heart...I'm broken.. scrapped... unable to ever react to my destined Ashikabi." She once again raised a hand and touched her forehead. "Broken" she finished quietly._

Her mark he realized. That tattoo isn't just a tattoo, it's a kind of seal. Her words now made sense as he realized that when she pulled on his chakra the flow was interrupted by the seal from moving to another part of her body.

"Akitsu if you didn't have that seal on your forehead, what would have happened once you kissed me?" Naruto asked with the most serious expression she had seen on his face so far.

"Ah... I would have emerged and gained my wings...and formed a bond with you and I would wear a mark showing my bond with you here." she replied while still looking down while she fingered the base of her neck.

_My chakra flow into Akitsu was interrupted by that seal. But it only pulled a small amount of my reserves, a literal drop in the bucket. I wonder what would happened if more was used? _He thought.

Cupping her face in his hands he pulled her face back to his as he laid a deep kiss on her lips, this time he was expecting the pull on his reserves and as his chakra began to flow in to Akitsu he went from a "drop" to a "cup" Immediately he felt Akitsu snap upright in his arms as his energy surged into her, far more than before. Only Naruto's hold on her kept Akitsu from inadvertently breaking the lip lock as her legs gave out from the chakra overload even as her eyes rolled back into her head.

_What's this? What's happening to me? This feeling, this energy flowing into me...how is this possible? _Akitsu thought even as she felt like she would burst from the pressure of Naruto's power flowing into her.

Naruto followed his chakra as it once again flowed into Akitsu before being pulled up to the seal once again, this time it didn't dissipate after encountering the seal. It pushed against the seal straining to move past it but the seal held and after a full minute he pulled back allowing the kiss to break and looked at the almost catatonic women in his arms.

_Yep..still got it_ he thought with a brief burst of male pride as he looked at the thoroughly flushed and almost faint look in Akitsu's eyes before pulling himself back to the problem at hand.

_My chakra alone wasn't enough to break the seal, but if I pushed any more power into her she might suffer for it. _He mused_._

Naruto continued to look Akitsu over as she slowly regained her ability to breathe properly and her eyes focused back on him from their almost glazed over look they sported a moment ago. If his chakra alone wasn't enough then there's one more thing he could try.

Closing his eyes he concentrated a bit, reaching into himself for that other bit of chakra that was available to him. Akitsu finally regained enough motor control for her legs to straighten up without having to rely completely on Naruto to hold her upright.

_What was that...what just happened to me? So much power flowed into me that I felt like I was going to pop. _She thought.

Akitsu watched as her Ashikabi closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate before to her astonishment he burst into flames. Shrieking in a panic she pulled on her power before her brain caught up with her and noticed that she felt no heat from the flames, and now that she was looking she saw that the flames were golden not red and orange so he wasn't on fire in the literal sense. The next thing she noticed was that while before he felt like a normal human and only the kissing session showed her that he had power, power not unlike her own from its feeling. Now he radiated power so much that it threatened to overwhelm her with his very presence.

As quickly as it happened it was over, the strange golden flames surrounding her Ashikabi died down and he opened his eyes and they seemed to glow with power. Once again he brought her face to his own and kissed her. The pull on his power began immediately only this time the charka moving from his body to hers wasn't the cool almost uncontrolled surge of power she experienced before. This time it was a sliver of energy that while being smaller than she felt in their first kiss, was far more potent.

She felt the energy being pulled to the seal on her forehead before shattering it the moment it came in contact with it. Now unopposed the power flowed through her to her very core before flowing to the base of her neck before the crest she never thought she would wear exploded from behind her followed by 10 breathtaking wings of pure white light stretched from her back to encompass the entire park before each wing of light took on the appearance of ice then fading shortly afterward.

Naruto knew it worked the moment he felt the seal shatter, but nothing could prepare him for the light show that he was treated to once his "special" chakra moved to the base of her next. A crest shaped like a bird along with 10 pillars of light exploded through the tattered lab coat and growing in size until it seemed to cover the entire park. The wings flexed then turned into beautiful shafts of ice before slowly dissolving and fading from view. That wasn't the only thing to happen as Naruto blinked to observe the spectacle around him. He now stood in a small clearing with Akitsu about 3 feet wide...and everything past that stretching as far as he could see through the park was covered in ice.

Staring dumbly he looked around him to witness this bizarre event as everything from the concrete and grass to the trees themselves was flash frozen. Nothing was spared as this spread from where he stood in a perfect circle as he turned back to look at Akitsu. She was holding on to his shoulders with a death grip and gazing in to his eyes even as she was panting uncontrollably. Found within her eyes he saw pure love and affection where before they only showed a empty void.

"Ah... Sekirei #07 Akitsu. The Ice Sekirei. May the Ice of my contract freeze my Ashikabi's enemies." She spoke with none of the past emptiness.

"Um..what just happened?" Naruto asked as he met her gaze before he felt something in his mind snap into place and emotions swirled inside of him. Joy, love, affection and pure bliss resonated from this feeling in his mind as he quickly determined that they were not coming from him. Eyes wide he stared at Akitsu in a dawning realization of what just happened.

"Is..is this the bond you told me about?" He questioned even as Akitsu closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into his bare chest. She was content to bask in the feeling of finally having her Ashikabi, for forming the bond that the rest of her sisters and brothers would develop but resigned herself to never having one to call her own.

"Ah...yes...you are my Ashikabi and I am your Sekirei...now and forever..." She replied.

Naruto looked from the now affectionate women in his arms to the new Ice Park around him. He could only shake his head at where his life had now lead him. First things first though he thought as he looked down to the now ruined lab coat and black t-shirt that had fallen from her shoulders leaving her pretty much naked causing his body to begin to respond as any young man would in this situation.

Pushing Akitsu away gently before she became aware of his increasingly tight pants he palmed the t-shirt and asked her to put it on. Akitsu raised her arms and began to pull it on leaving Naruto with a completely unobstructed view of her body for the first time. And all he could think of was _Damn!_ as he took in her flawless pale skin and a quick glance he calculated her to be 89-57-88. Very nice he thought even as he developed a slight nose bleed. Then the free show was over and Akitsu stood before him in just his t-shirt the barely came down to cover her upper thighs. Bending down he retrieved what was left of the tattered lab coat and tied it around her waist to cover what he could until he could get her more clothes.

Taking her hand he looked in her eyes as Akitsu stepped up and pressed herself against his side he asked if she was ready to go.

Looking at her Ashikabi she smiled.

"Ah...yes...Ashikabi-sama.." She replied in a quiet and refined tone that did nothing to hide the love she projected in her voice.

"Please, call me Naruto" he asked as he pulled her along and making sure to walk carefully on the ice he set out to exit the park already thinking about his next move.

_Clothes, food and now I really need a place to stay. _He ticked off in his mind as he led Akitsu out of the park and towards their future.

End.

_Like it? Hate it? Please review. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who read my story and left me a review. 85 favorites, 83 follows and 19 reviews by the end of the 1st day posted. I found a beta reader who helped me find the spelling and grammar mistakes in the first chapter and it has been re posted with those corrections. **

**To answer some of your questions I do intend for Naruto to have a few girls in his harem but I'm not replacing Minato or poaching his girls except for 1 to give to Naruto. While I enjoy the series and like most of the characters I don't see the majority of them fitting in well with my Naruto. And a lot of the other "Immortal" Naruto crossovers, while I know that logically anyone who lives that long is bound to be a bit cynical and jaded or down right have a personality shift, I want to keep closer to Naruto's original personality as best I could. It was his upbeat never give up characteristics that made him both unique in his universe and able to bring about such change it others. **

**My approach is to give him power and experience to match while still keeping close to his original personality traits that make him a knucklehead. Because let's face it, Naruto is pretty dull outside of a good fight and to me he is always 2 cards short of a full deck.**

**Eniox27- I have read Ashikabi no Shinobi and i enjoy it's story line and any similarities to Akitsu's winging is from trying to keep it as close to how we were introduced to her in the anime/manga while giving it my own twist. And I love Akitsu's character, she is my favorite Sekirei outside of Minato's girls and as such I enjoy reading other stories including her. **

**So yes Naruto will have both power and skills in keeping with his life and may very well be the most powerful character in this story, he won't be walking around with "God Mode" activated and like in the anime and manga will only really stand out when he's deadly serious. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. If I did I would have a smarter Naruto and a Harem style anime where the main character actually wants to bang all the girls and doesn't run from them. **

Chapter 2

Atop the tallest building in Shinto Teito on his private balcony stood the most powerful man in the city, and one of the most powerful individuals in the country. MBI founder and President Hiroto Minaka. Standing well above the average height for a Japanese male at 6'2", dressed in an expensive pure white suit topped with a flowing white cape and wild white upturned hair that blew in the wind. Minaka certainly cast an impressive image to anyone who knew didn't know him (those that did just tried their best to ignore his eccentric overbearing traits). Looking out over the expansive skyline to the south, his piercing eyes missed nothing. Nothing happened in his city without his know how or input, and as of 8 days ago when MBI finished buying out the last of the parts of the city they didn't already own; and as the founder/CEO of MBI that meant the city truly belonged to him.

Which is why he took it as a slight against him when they received a disturbing alert a short while ago regarding the "scrapped" Sekirei #07. When developing the technology to make adjustments to the Sekirei that would allow them to bond with humans, things were bound to have a few hiccups. While being experimented on, the researcher in charge of #07 botched the procedure resulting in #07's in ability to be winged. After his beloved Sahashi Takami, his go to person, current head researcher, and 2nd overall in charge of the Sekirei Plan personally ended his career with MBI (along with his ability to father children) she assigned #07 her division while they worked on a way to reverse what been done to her.

Nothing worked, everything they had tried resulted in failure and after more than 3 years #07 resigned herself to her fate and sunk into a deep depression. The only good thing that came out of the experience was that they perfected the winging system thanks in part to #07's sacrifice and all of her future brothers and sisters would be safe from sharing her fate. #07 slowly faded to the background in the interests of the R&D department and soon disappeared entirely from the program.

She remained in self-imposed isolation in the labs until 3 days ago when being transferred from Kamikura Island to MBI headquarters to join the other Sekirei in who have yet to be released for final tuning for life amongst humans. The security officer in charge of ensuring #07's safety and security during transport thought he could take advantage of the seemingly docile and utterly beautiful woman lying on a transport gurney with wearing only a hospital gown. The idiot had no idea who or what she

When he attempted to capitalize on his golden opportunity he found himself run through with multiple ice spears that took both him and the truck they were traveling in, resulting in the trucks rather spectacular explosion. In the 20 minutes it took MBI to send a retrieval team to recover her all they found was the burnt wreckage and missing Sekirei. Examination of the trucks black-box security footage showed them the details of the incident.

Due to her powers over ice, the tracking devices implanted inside her body were unusable and as such had to be tracked down the old fashion way. Minaka dispatched the 3rd generation Disciplinary Squad to locate and retrieve her. That was 3 days ago and they had found no evidence on her whereabouts until an alarm triggered earlier today with the most shocking news. Sekirei #07, the "scrapped" number had been winged. Chaos and disbelief ran rampant in the main control room until his dear Takami-chan asserted her authority in her usual way; with a demonic visage, shouting and threats of extreme violence.

Now Minaka stood in his favorite spot on the roof overlooking his city waiting on further news. The sound of the door behind him alerted him of Takami's arrival. "Ah my dear Takami-chan! What news do you bring me on our lost bird?"

His answer came in the form of a kick to the head that sent him over the edge of the roof to plummet hundreds of feet to a most certain death. Luckily he managed to grab the lip of the roof as he was going over.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that you self-centered bastard!" Roared the object of his deepest affections.

Scrambling to pull himself up to the safety of solid ground he was quick to respond. "But my Takami-chan, how can you be so cruel to the man you love? You could have killed me just now, and after all we've been through and experienced together; the long nights in each other's arms and the passions of our youth. You would deny me my right to call you my 'dear'?" he cried with "manly" tears running down his face.

Takami bristled at his reply. "You damn well better believe I won't let you call me that. You haven't earned the right to call me that."

Having finally righted himself Minaka lost the pout on his face and looked at Takami with a piercing gaze. "What have you found out?" He asked.

"After our systems were alerted to #07's winging, I ordered satellite coverage of the area be brought up for review. Her location was pinged at Harakuju Park 17 miles southwest of here. The park has been completely frozen solid a half mile in diameter. According to the reports from our men at the scene the ice is almost 4 inches thick."

Pausing long enough to pull some photos out of the file she was carrying she handed them to Minaka who looked at them with great interest. "These are the aerial photos taken by out satellites. By the time our forces got on site and were able to enter the park both #07 and her Ashikabi were already gone. We did manage to get this shot of the pair as they were leaving."

Handing Minaka a new photo he looked at a bird's eye view of 2 forms walking on the ice towards to exit. 07 was accompanied by a man with bright yellow hair and looked to be shirtless but that was all that he could see.

Pulling out and lighting a cigarette she took a long drag before continuing. "We tracked them heading west before losing them in a shopping district close to the park. We have no CCTV access in those areas so we can't get a better view. I've already alerted Karasuba and she is en route to find then bring them both here."

"Excellent Takami-chan! That will be all." Minaka said dismissing her and turning back to look at the photos in his hand. Takami scuffed at the dismissal and flipped Minaka the bird before leaving.

"Well now, isn't this exciting! A new development in this grand game that even I hadn't been able to predict. I really must meet this person who through a wrench in my plans for our poor, poor #07."

Minaka stood overlooking Shinto Teito and laughed aloud, wondering where this new factor might take the game.

**x~X~x**

Escaping the frozen winter wonderland proved to be a little annoying for Naruto as on more than one occasion he slipped on the ice and fell flat on his ass. It wouldn't be a big deal for him if no one else was around to witness the spectacle but with every ass-busting event his silent companion would look down at him while maintaining her hold on his arm and giggle softly even as he would mock glare back at her. Damn that giggle, how can he be mad at such a cute sound? It didn't stop him from grumbling about it though.

_How the hell can she keep her footing? Why do I keep falling on my ass even when I try to use chakra and yet she is casually walking across this freaking icy slip & slide?_

So with both ego and ass bruised (for one of them anyway)the pair made it to edge of the tree line stopping just short of leaving as Naruto looked across the 20 feet stretching to the northern gate. Flashing lights on emergency response vehicles, uniformed men and women relaying instructions through a hand-held megaphone and the dumbstruck gathering of bystanders alerted Naruto that they weren't alone anymore.

_Well, we did inadvertently destroy city property and ruined a city treasure. Well...one of us did._ He thought as he glanced at Akitsu out of the corner of his eye.

"Uh..Akitsu-chan. Can you get rid of the ice? We kind of made a scene here." He asked.

"Ah...no...I like it" she replied after a slow look at the new attraction to the park. "This is proof that I'm your Sekirei...that I was able to be winged...without you I could have never done this"

If it wasn't for the warm feeling conveyed through the bond with her in the back of his mind he would have sweat dropped at her reply as her tone and facial expression once again seemed almost devoid of life. _I guess this is normal for her huh? _He thought

"Then I guess we should try another way out. Come on, we'll hop the fence a bit further down." He said after a moment. _She really is happy at this whole "winging" gig. If it made her this happy I guess I can play along._

Releasing his hold on her hand he draped his left arm across her back, hand resting on her hip as he pulled her closer even as she wrapped her right arm around his waist and pressed against his side. Using the cover of ice trees they stepped deeper into the tree line until they were out of sight then walked west for about 200 meters then cut back north to the perimeter fence line.

Naruto let go of Akitsu as they walked up to the fence and had to squash the urge to shout "Kawai" as she gave a small pout at having to release him. "Can you get over fence or do I need help you?" He asked.

"Ah...I can jump it..." She replied and with a effortless hop she was standing on top of the 10ft fence, balancing gracefully she turned back to Naruto and gave a small smile at the shocked look on his face.

_Must not drool, must not drool. _He thought to himself as he witnessed an act that a normal human hadn't been able to do in a long time. _I think I'm in love._ Nothing was more attractive on a woman for Naruto then a strong girl. A strong girl who was also beautiful. Strength, grace, power over ice, smoking hot and completely devoted to him? Naruto may have just found the perfect girl. And the free show he was provided when she jumped, flashing her bare bottom through the tattered lab coat had absolution no impact on his line of thought. Wiping a small trail of blood from his nose Naruto followed her lead and jumped over the fence to the street and draped his arm back over her once Akitsu joined him allowing him one more free show. Nope..no impact on him what's so ever.

**x~X~x**

It wasn't easy in any relationship he had ever been in and it certainly wasn't easy now. Standing outside of the dressing room of the women's clothes store he found a block from the park, Naruto felt completely out of place while waiting for Akitsu to try on the assorted clothing she had picked out with the help of the almost motherly sales clerk. The same clerk that gave him the "look" as she took in Akitsu's state of dress, and his for that matter as he still wasn't wearing a shirt and assumed it was Naruto's fault. So he took it like a man and just stood silently and resigned himself to a long and draining experience.

The sales clerk drug Akitsu around the store pulling clothing ranging from outerwear to underwear from the shelves and racking, guessing correctly that she had no other clothes than what she had on and made it her personal mission to pick out an entire wardrobe for Akitsu. Pulling his pencil sized storage scroll out he rolled it out a bit and after finding what he wanted he applied a bit of chakra and with a small puff of smoke Naruto was holding a very old and well used looking frog shaped pouched. Pocketing the scroll once again he cracked open his precious "Gama-chan" and recounted the bill she had on his person. Looking back at the growing pile of ladies fashion apparel he could only hope he had enough to pay for everything.

Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden weight on his head and his vision went black. Reaching up he pulled his black shirt off of his head and turned to the matronly clerk who was still scowling at him. "Put your shirt back on, we don't need any more of your free shows." She barked at him then turned back to the dressing room and disappeared inside. Giving the clerk the finger once his back was turned he slipped the shirt back on then went back to grieving for his soon to be depleted gama-chan.

"Ah...Naruto-sama.." Akitsu's soft voice brought his attention back to the dressing room to find Akitsu wearing what looked like a modified kimono. Both top and bottom were white, the color blending well with her pale skin. The bottom was a skirt that wrapped around her hips and accentuated her curves and long legs; and fell to her ankles, exposing more skin as it went further down to where her shins and ankles were exposed in the front. The top was similar to a yukata top and it had flowing sleeves that hid her hands but the resemblance ended there. Akitsu's chest was put on display as the top wrapped around her stomach, but flared out once it reached her breasts and split to barely hang off of her shoulders. Across her chest was a length of chain that held the top close just enough to be borderline decent, though the tops and inner parts of her breasts were out for display. And it was also apparent that she wasn't wearing a bra. Finishing the look was a black obi and a second length of chain that wrapped around her neck twice before falling to disappear between her breasts. Adorning her feet were a simple pair of heeled sandals.

Naruto's brain shut down briefly as he looked at the goddess before him. His inner Jiraiya once again making himself know as he began to giggle in a manner that would have had said perverted godfather preening in pride. _I wonder where those chains go to. Maybe she'll let me find out. He he._ He thought to himself as his brain finally rebooted and rational thought could once again make itself know.

"Uh..Akitsu, I can see you aren't wearing a bra, but do you have any underwear on under you skirt?" He asked once he was sure he could talk without giggling lecherously.

"Ah. She paused briefly to look down at herself, then pulled the skirt up open to look once again giving Naruto a view that other men would kill to see. "...I forgot.." She finally finished.

Blinking owlishly he could only shake his head before instructing her to return to the dressing room and put some on. Looking at the evil looking sales clerk that followed Akitsu out (and apparently didn't like what Akitsu choose to wear, nor was she please with Naruto's reaction to said clothes if the glare she was giving him was any indication). "Before you try to blame me for any of this. You helped her pick it out"

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as she flushed red and then ripped into Naruto like a woman scorned. Tuning her out after the third "deadbeat" insult he allowed his mind to wonder and once again delved into his inner sanctum, he cackled perversely while bringing back up the images of Akitsu in her various states of dress and undress. After a hanger bounced off his head he realized that he must have cackled out loud at some point because Mt. Pissed of Sales Clerk looked like she would erupt in righteous female fury.

Before she could tear back in him Akitsu walked out and moved to stand by him, reaching out and grabbing his hand then turned to the angry clerk. "Ah...thank you.." she stated.

"My pleasure" the woman managed to get out while grinding her teeth and scowling at Naruto.

"Is this what you want Akitsu? Did you also get some extras and maybe night wear too?" Naruto questioned.

"Ah...I like it..the lady picked out some extras...and some other things..." She answered.

Naruto nodded then addressed the clerk again. "Well, I guess we're ready to check out."

"Very good sir. Right this way" she said. After ringing up Akitsu's clothes she looked a little too pleased at Naruto's crestfallen look after he emptied his poor gama-chan of most of the bills inside and ignored her acidic "Thank you for your purchase, please come again" .

Mouthing some very impolite things about the woman and her family, friends, any pets she might have he turned his back to the clerk from hell. Again Naruto's not petty, but if the woman just happened to have a bad hair day from hell tomorrow, well...he wouldn't lose any sleep over it. He grabbed the bags and knelt to the floor and pulled his storage scroll back out. Both Akitsu and the clerk watched in confusion as he unrolled the scroll a bit then finding what he wanted placed a finder on a squiggly symbol and applied a bit of chakra. In a puff of smoke a larger scroll appeared and he neatly grabbed it and unwound the cord keeping it bound. Then he unfurled the scroll then laid it on the ground exposing another strange symbol.

Picking up the bags he placed them on the scroll then and with a small puff the bags disappeared seemingly into thin air. Rolling the larger scroll back up he sealed it into the smaller scroll then placed the small scroll back in his pocket and stood up. Looking at Akitsu's slightly wide eyes and the clerks dumbfounded look, he purposefully acted nonchalant about the feet of magic. Wrapping an arm around Akitsu's waist he turned her towards the door and waved to the still stunned sales clerk with his most innocent smile he could manage they departed the clothing store

Heading west once back on the sidewalk he allowed himself a brief moment to relish in his pseudo prank before he turned to his wide-eyed companion. "So..What do you want for lunch?"

**x~X~x**

The relatively quiet atmosphere of hundreds of men and women moving with purpose was interrupted by a cry that rose above the normal hustle and bustle of commuter traffic.

"**You've never heard of ramen?" **Shrieked Naruto as he stared in disbelieve at his companions answer.

After making the decision to grab food he asked what she might want .and after a short "Ah...whatever you want it fine with me..."

"OK then! Let's go for ramen. You can never go wrong with the food of the Gods!" he declared while looking at her for any objections. Seeing the blank look on her face and ignoring the dread building in his stomach he had to ask. "You do know what ramen is right?" He said.

Blinking slowly once again she gave him the response the he dreaded to hear. "Ah...no..."

Leaning back slightly after his loud deceleration she just looked at Naruto and shook her head slowly. _How can this be? The one claimed me as her Ashikabi has never sampled the food of the Gods? _He wailed internally.

Turning to Akitsu with fire burning in his eyes he scooped her up under his arm then launched himself to the roof of the nearest building ignoring the looks of shock on people's faces and Akitsu's squeak of surprise. Pausing to get his bearings he turned south and proceeded to leap from roof to roof as he traveled at breakneck speed towards the small ramen stand he found in his 1st day in the city. It was no Ichiraku Ramen, but it was still good, and he had to get Akitsu there on the double to correct what he saw as massive injustice.

20 minutes later gave birth to the spectacle of Naruto shoveling down bowl after bowl of heavenly delight into his bottomless pit of a stomach. Next to him Akitsu was slowly and methodically eating her noodles like a lady should showing no real rush. If it went for the 5 empty bowls next to her one would assume she wasn't enjoying her ramen.

Pausing between his 12th and 13th bowl Naruto turned to Akitsu and exclaimed. "See! What did I tell you about ramen? Isn't it the food of the gods themselves?"

"Ah..yes...I love it.." She replied without breaking her focus on her own ramen bowl.

The ramen chef just chuckled at the scene before him and collected the empty bowls from the counter and deposited them in the sink then turned to the woman who just walked through the flaps covering the bar area. "What can I get you miss?" he inquired.

"I'll have a bowl of miso" was his answer and she sat down on the empty stool next to Naruto. Then turned to regard the pair next to her. "Wow, you really love ramen don't you?" She asked in a conversational tone, having seen the stack being removed from in front of him by the chef.

Turing to the voice on his right took in the woman next to him. She was fairly tall topped with long ash gray hair worn in a high ponytail that fell to her lower back with a slender athletic body wrapped in a tight black top and black mini skirt falling just above mid-thigh leaving a section of her legs bare before they were encased in thigh length black boots and draped across her shoulders was a oversized gray haori. Her impressive bust and narrow waist and long legs coupled with her angled face and gray eyes made this woman just as stunning as Akitsu.

Three things immediately stood out to Naruto even as he finished slurping up the last of his noodles waiting to finish before he answered. One was the long nodachi strapped to her waist, the second was the crest of a bird printed on both shoulders of her haori, the same bird crest he saw on Akitsu before and after her winging. The third was the look in the woman's have lidded eyes as she looked at him expectantly for his reply. They were the eyes of someone who knew how to kill and was deciding whether to kill him or not.

"Of course I love ramen" he finally replied turning a bit to face her. "Anyone who doesn't love the delicious and delectable taste Ramen is a fool and should be pitied." not taking his eyes off of her he started into his next bowl, though at a much slower rate. Finishing a bite he asked her the same question. "How about you? Do you love ramen?"

The woman's face stretched in a smile along with her half lidded eyes gave her the look of a predator smiling at something its food might have said to it. "I don't really have a preference for ramen myself. I was just in the neighborhood looking for something and thought I'd grab a quick bite before accomplishing my mission."

Thinking about what she had just said and taking in her appearance and the sword at her side he concluded that she was also a Sekirei. "I must have good luck then to have met 2 of the 108 Sekirei in a city of millions after only 3 days in Shinto Teito. So tell me Ms. Sekirei, what is your real reason for being here?" He questioned her in a light tone of voice. Akitsu who in the meantime hadn't even looked up from her ramen, turned to see her Ashikabi was speaking with. After hearing "Sekirei" brought up. Once she laid eyes on the woman sitting next to Naruto she froze (no pun intended) and dropped her chopsticks.

Smiling wider at his statement she leaned in closer to Naruto and rested on hand on the hilt of her sword. "Now what makes you think I'm a Sekirei?" She inquired.

Feeling the rising panic in his bond with Akitsu and having heard her drop her chopsticks he took a moment to pause in his slurping, he chewed his food before replying. "The most obvious is the sword at your side coupled with the crests on your haori. That's the same crest that was on Aki-chans forehead before I winged her, then appeared on the base of her neck afterwards."

"Oh ho, you're a smart one aren't you? Sekirei #04 Karasuba, the Black Sekirei at your service" She replied still smiling and giving a small exaggerated bow from her stool, amused at the fearful looking Akitsu and the nonchalant attitude of her Ashikabi.

"Well than Ms. Karasuba, What are you really doing here?" Naruto asked after a moment.

Giving Naruto a casual and once over she chuckled a bit then answered. "Well mister ramen lover, I'm here for you and your Sekirei of course. I've been sent to retrieve the "scrapped number" and the person who managed to wing her." Turning back to the counter Karasuba started eating the ramen that was placed on the counter in front of her a moment ago.

Turning to look at Akitsu over his shoulder he saw that whoever this Karasuba chick was, Akitsu was afraid of her. No, not afraid. Downright terrified. _Just who is this Sekirei that has Akitsu so worked up? I've seen what her power is. She froze an entire park for god's sake. Is Karasuba really that strong?_

"Well Aki-chan, do you want to go with the scary lady?" He asked as he turned around to better look at her.

Akitsu responded by grabbing his arm and held it in a death grip and shook her head so fast he thought it might fall off. It would have been funny to Naruto if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Well Karasuba-chan, it looks like Akitsu doesn't want go with you. So I'm afraid we'll have to kindly decline your offer so sorry for your wasted trip, but how about I pay for your ramen to make up for it?" Naruto said looking back to the Black Sekirei. Said Sekirei merely laughed aloud at his statement and pushed her bowl away then stood up, resting one hand back on the hilt of her sword.

"I'm afraid that it isn't a request. My employer isn't used to being told no, and neither am I to be honest. So if you don't come quietly then I'll get to hurt you, then have you carried back. It makes no difference to me. But please resist, I haven't had a good laugh in days." Karasuba was now looking him with her eyes fully opened, showing a desire to fight and spill blood. A lesser man might have pissed himself at her statement and look. Naruto just went back to eating.

"Don't ignore me you piece of shit!" She yelled as she drew her blade faster than the normal eye could see and sliced Naruto's bowl of ramen in 2. Spilling beef and noodles over the counter and Naruto himself. The ramen chef screamed and ran out the back screaming for the police and Akitsu tried to raise a wall of ice between them and Karasuba before pulling Naruto to his feet and trying to drag him away. She only got 3 feet before she felt him yank his arm free from her grip and with his head downcast, hair shadowing his eyes he turned back to face the Black Sekirei in time to see her wall of ice shattered like it was nothing.

Stepping over the remnants of the ice barrier Karasuba smiled wickedly at the pair, fully expecting to have seen the pair desperately trying to run away. Watching Akitsu frantically trying to pull him away then after seeing her barrier destroyed moved in front of Naruto to shield him. "Run. You must run! She'll kill you!" Akitsu almost shouted at her Ashikabi, trying to keep him safe.

"Yes, please run, run like your life depends on it. I love the trill of a good chase. And Once I'm done with this little ..." She trailed off as her eyes widened in shock as an immense pressure like she had never felt before pressed down on her. Akitsu also felt the pressure but couldn't stand up to it and fell to her knees, turning her head to the side in a jerky manner both Sekirei were treated to the sight of Naruto.

Standing stock still head down and hair covering his eyes he slowly started to glow. Seconds later flames of pure gold exploded from his body covering him completely in a cloak of energy. Black lines traced unknown patterns tracing his arms and legs connecting in a strange symbol on his stomach. Forming over his arms and shoulders the energy took the form of a long overcoat similar to Karasuba's haori except his had a high collar. 9 black magatamas formed around his neck and along the outside collar of his coat. Two spikes of hair rose to form a pair of horns atop his head and his eyes glowed a brilliant red, now visible as he raised his head to glare at Karasuba's shocked form.

"You...you made 3 mistakes." Naruto said in a voice that was colder than anything Karasuba had heard since her last conversation with her former leader. She trembled in response, trying to wrap her mind around this power that was trying to crush her. And was coming from someone who a minute ago wasn't even a blip on her senses, now he overwhelmed them.

"First, you threaten Aki-chan, someone who is dear to me, my precious person. Second you threaten me, and your third mistake was **spilling my ramen! **Naruto roared before he moved.

One minute Karasuba was watching this man radiate pure power, the next he was inside her guard. Blood and spittle flew from her mouth as his fist plunged into her diaphragm folding her over and causing her eyes to roll back into her head. _What...what just happened...How is this possible._ She thought before lost consciousness.

Allowing the evil ramen slaying woman to fall and land in a undignified manner face first he released his hold on his charka and allowed it to fade away. Spinning on his heel he walked to Akitsu who was still on her knees on the ground, eyes wide and trembling form the power she felt both around her and from its echo from her bond with her Ashikabi.

"Are you OK?" Naruto asked as he kneeled in front of her. "Ah...I'm fine..." She managed to mumble after a moment. "What...what was that?" She asked.

"I'll tell you later" He replied as he stood back up, pulling Akitsu with him. Walking back to the ramen stand he allowed himself a moment to pray to the ramen gods for the heinous crime that was committed. "I have avenged you, rest in peace now." as manly tears trickled down his face. Akitsu could only blink at the strange sight and wondered about her Ashikabi's mental stability.

"Well, lunch was ruined, time to head out. We still have to find a place to stay. First things first though" Naruto said as he turned back to the motionless form of the ramen slaying Sekirei. His face contorting to a vulpine look as he knelt over her prone form. "You took something precious from me, it's on fair for me to do the same."

Pulling off her gray haori and unbuckling her leather sword belt he sheathed her nodachi and slipped the haori on himself and tied it closed with her belt and secured the nodachi at his waist. Taking a moment to move his arms and stretch he found that while it was oversized on Karasuba, it wrapped around his frame rather well. Pulling his right arm back from the sleeve and allowing it to fall from his shoulder leaving it bound around his waist and left shoulder in a style like that of this character in an anime he watched. Looking back at the prone woman he got an evil look on his face as he reached for his sealing scroll.

_She hasn't suffered enough. I got just the thing to make sure she remembers this lesson. _He thought as he unsealed his Scroll of Reckoning. Cackling as he went to work on Karasuba, Akitsu shivered as she watched her master dish out his punishment to the defenseless Sekirei who minutes ago wanted to hurt them, maybe even kill them.

Shivering again at Naruto's evil cackling she turned her head, she couldn't watch it anymore.

Now Naruto isn't spiteful or anything, but no one crossed him without due punishment. As Karasuba will find out when she wakes up.

End.

Picture how Gintoki wears his haori in Gintama. That's how Naruto is wearing his right now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. If I did I would have a smarter Naruto and a Harem style anime where the main character actually wants to bang all the girls and doesn't run from them.**

Chapter 3

Having exacted his revenge on the hapless Sekirei who dared disrespect the sacred food of the Gods, Naruto sealed his Scroll of Reckoning back into his pocket scroll and slipped it in his pants. Standing up he observed his handiwork then turned to give his silent companion a foxy grin. "What do you think Aki-chan? Do you think Ms. Black Sekirei will learn from this and respect the greatness that is ramen?"

From her place on the stool in the now empty food stand Akitsu looked from her grinning Ashikabi to the knocked out woman at his feet and felt herself shudder. No one should had to endure that as a punishment. _From what I know about her reputation, this might be deserved; but then again maybe not._ She thought to herself before answering.

"Ah...maybe.."

Naruto seemed to swell with pride at her comment. _The only thing that beats a good prank, is a good prank that is appreciated by the audience!_

Casting one last look at his latest prank victim Naruto extended his hand to Akitsu. "Well then, let's be off. We still have to find a place to stay, I could use a nap right about now; and we still have to finish our talk about this whole "Sekirei" business and what we plan to do moving forward."

Akitsu nodded and took his offered hand before latching herself back onto him and resting her head against his shoulder. "Ah..Yes..I could use a nap as well..."

The duo began their trek back to the main road when Naruto felt a vibration coming from somewhere in the haori followed shortly by a cell phone ringing. Looking confused for a moment he reached into the left side and found a hidden pocket containing what looked like a very expensive flip phone.

Flipping the phone open Naruto glanced at the caller ID readout and chuckled at the name that was flashing across the screen.

_Apparently Karasuba has no respect for this person, or it's an inside joke. Who labels a contact in their phone "_Son of a Bitch"_? _He thought before hitting the answer key and holding the phone up to his ear only to immediately pull it away with a grimace of pain at the screeching voice shouting though the phone.

"Karasuba-chan! What's taking you so long to find #07 and her Ashikabi? Surely you've found them by now. I really want to meet the special person who managed such a miracle!" Shouted a male voice.

Looking at the phone in his hand Naruto wondered if he should even bother to respond when Akitsu spoke up at his side. "Ah...it's the Director..."

"Director? So you know this guy?" At her nod Naruto placed the phone back to his ear even as the "director" Continued to fire questions off without pause. _Son of a Bitch indeed._ He thought.

Interrupting the ranting man Naruto spoke into the phone barely managing to join the conversation. "Karasuba-chan isn't available at the moment, may I take a message?"

The man may sound like an idiot but Naruto had to give him props for not sounding surprised at someone other than Karasuba answering her phone. "Well then stranger! Might I inquire as to how you are and where my dear Karasuba might be? Karasuba was working an assignment for me and time really is of the essence I must insist on speaking with her if at all possible."

"Who I am isn't important at the moment, and as for you "Black Sekirei" well, let's just say she took our refusal to go along with her a little personally and decided to attack us. I couldn't let that slide so I took her down as gently as I could. I am a gentleman after all." Naruto replied giving the man Karasuba's title to show he knew at least that much about her.

"My, my! So you claim to have taken out my Sekirei do you? Sounds scary, but I'm afraid that your claim is a little far-fetched. A human taking down a Sekirei is unlikely and Karasuba is a head above the rest of her kind. What proof do you have that you took her out? Maybe you just found her phone laying somewhere and went through her messages?" The man asked with amusement tinting his voice.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the game the man was playing before replying in the same tone of voice. "Sekirei, #07 Akitsu, superhuman powers over ice, need I go on?"

"Not at all my good sir. So would I be mistaken to assume that you are Akitsu's Ashikabi? I really must ask how you were able to wing her. All of our science and technology proved ineffective in fixing her after her unfortunate lab accident." The man replied making no attempt to disguise his curiosity.

Naruto glanced at Akitsu who rested her head back on his shoulder, pink tinting her cheeks in pleasure at being reminded of his status and connection to her. "Yes I am, and no I won't tell you how I did it. Now since you admitted to sending Karasuba after me why don't you cut the bull shit and tell me who you are and what you want. We have things to do and places to be and you're not a part of either of those." Naruto stated attempting to get to the heart of what the director wanted.

"Very well you man. My name is Hiroto Minaka, founder and CEO of MBI and current caretaker for all the Sekirei not yet released into Shinto Teito. I sent Karasuba and several others to locate Akitsu after the transport carrying her to us was destroyed and we found her missing. We were quite concerned with her well-being you see, and I devoted all of MBI's vast resources to track her down and return her home. But since you've managed the impossible and somehow winged her that means she's now under your care. Karasuba had orders to bring you both to MBI headquarters so we could make sure of her health and so we could meet you. We can't have an Ashikabi running around our beloved city that we don't know anything about." Minaka responded

"So I really must insist that you come to our tower and let us check her over and make sure that nothing went wrong with the winging process. And of course so we can speak face to face. I can't tell you how excited I am to meet the human capable of defeating #04. Speaking of which, we'll dispatch a recovery unit to bring her back and they'll bring the 2 of you in as well"

"And if we refuse to be brought in?" Naruto asked once again looking down at Akitsu. Seeing her give a small nod he turned his attention back to Minaka.

"Well then we would simply have to devote all of our resources to hunting you down and then drag you back by force. We can make your life quite miserable as a result." Minaka replied with a slight edge in his voice.

Thinking over his options Naruto glanced over his shoulder to Karasuba and settled on a plan. _I don't trust this asshole and I certainly_ _don't want to place Akitsu back in his clutches. Time to show them just who they are dealing with._

The thought of MBI hounding him relentlessly didn't bother him. Naruto had entire lifetimes of experience in hiding from the world at large if he choose to. But Naruto didn't like the thought of Akitsu having to live a life on the run. She deserved better, she deserved a full and happy life.

Squeezing Akitsu tighter to him Naruto gave his reply to Minaka. "Very well. We'll come in for a quick talk and checkup. But don't bother sending a retrieval force. We'll come see you, and bring Karasuba along with us. Where would you like us to go?"

"Well if you insist then that should be fine. Come to our city headquarters in the center of town to MBI Tower, you can't miss it. So we'll see you in about how long Mr...?" Minaka said

"We'll be there in an hour. And you can call me Naruto." Hanging up on the rather annoying man Naruto let go of Akitsu and knelt over Karasuba, pulling his sealing scroll back out. He had some work to do before they met with Minaka.

"Son of a Bitch indeed." Naruto muttered as he worked with Akitsu observing over his shoulder.

**x~X~x**

Sitting back in his chair Minaka placed his cell on the desk before reaching for his intercom. "Takami, I need to see you in my office right away, we need to prepare for visitors."

"I'll be up in 5. I take it Karasuba is bringing in #07 and her Ashikabi?"

Minaka chuckled and turned to his personal computer and began a check on the name "Naruto" with the limited physical description they obtained from satellite footage. "In a manner of speaking Takami-chan, suffice to say in a hour we'll have all three here then we can work on getting some questions answered"

It took almost the full hour before his search algorithm found the data he was searching for. With Takami standing beside him they read over the data they managed to gather, Takami was stunned at the revealed information while Minaka started to laugh. It soon descended into an insane laugh as he imagined what he could do with this fascinating new player in this grand game of his.

"Uzumaki Naruto, what wonderful opportunities this will bring us!"

**x~X~x**

Jumping from roof to roof towards MBI Tower Akitsu observed her Ashikabi out of the corner of her eye. They were moving at a good clip which was far faster than anything a normal human could hope to achieve and yet Naruto was easily keeping pace while carrying the tied and gagged form of Karasuba over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes'.

Her Ashikabi had demonstrated so many strange and powerful feats that she had been raised and conditioned to believe was impossible for humans to do. The energy that she felt from him when he winged her and later when he took out Karasuba like she was nothing. The speed and strength to move and jump like a Sekirei over the rooftops and carry a body in the process seemingly without any signs of fatigue or strain. The ability to make items appear and disappear using a scroll and ink, then there was the physical appearance he took on when he used that power of his. It would see to that she had a special Ashikabi indeed.

When they arrived at the tower Naruto signaled Akitsu to follow his lead then landed at the entrance to the corporate giant's main building. Lining either side of the walkways leading to the main doors stood a column of armed guards at parade rest leaving no question about where they were to go. Naruto spared them an amused glance before walking down the designated path where he could see a trio of women waiting for him. The oldest was a tall middle-aged woman in a black pants, white button up shirt with a white lab coat sporting spiky chin length grey hair. She observed his approach with hard grey eyes, taking in his appearance and burden. Flanking her stood 2 younger women about Akitsu's age. The short one had bright pink hair and eyes, hair pulled into a ponytail on the left side of her head. Her rather cute face was marred by the openly hostile stare she was giving him. She wore a black kimono top over black biker shorts and sported red boots and gloves. The other girl was much taller but stood slouched over with a bored look in her eyes. She wore what appeared to be bandages wrapped around her entire body and a loose black kimono over them and a black choker. She also had spiky chin length grey hair and sported a pair of long bladed gauntlets tipped with wicked looking sharp claws.

It was obvious to Naruto that both of the younger women were Sekirei, and more than likely close quarter combat fighters. Sparing each of them a quick once over as he approached the group he dismissed them in favor of the older woman who looked to be in charge. Stopping 10 feet from the group Naruto addressed them as even as Akitsu once more took his left arm and hugged it close.

"I believe I had an appointment with a son of a bitch? I mean Minaka? He's your boss right?"

The bandaged Sekirei burst out laughing at his reference to Minaka and even the angry looking pinkette bit back a smile. The older woman just blinked then answered him. "Yes you do. I'm Sahashi Takami, senior researcher and sometimes aide to that "Son of a Bitch". This is Benitsubasa and Haihane. I've been ordered to bring you to meet him in his office. I assume that's Karasuba hog tied over your shoulder?" Haihane nearly keeled over with her laughing at Takami's acknowledgment of her bosses title and the pinkette was now openly chuckling.

Naruto simply set his heavily tied up bundle down at his feet then in a dramatic flair removed the hood covering her head and face. Long locks of brightly colored hair now free from the high ponytail, fell around her face and back. She was still unconscious so he grabbed the top of her head and angled it up to face the trio of gawking MBI employees. "You tell me. Is this you lost little Sekirei?" Naruto joked.

Dead silence greeted him as the women now sported WTF expressions at the condition of his "captive". No longer able to take it both Haihane and Benitsubasa dropped to the ground laughing their asses off.

"I..uh..what.." Was all that Takami managed to squeak out in shock at their formerly untouchable killing machine. Aside from the fact that she was allegedly beaten by this man in front of her, bound and gagged; but she had been stripped of her haori and sword which this man now wore, but he had even gone so far as to dye her hair.

Whereas Karasuba once sported ash grey hair she now had to deal with bright orange locks instead. Very bright orange. Like kill me now orange. The color one might wear to attract the most amount of attention to one's self as possible.

Akitsu took this all in with an outwardly calm look, but on the inside she sported a large sweat-drop. 2 members of the Discipline Squad were rolling around laughing so hard that she wondered if they could even breathe. Wait..yep, the one introduced as Haihane was turning an interesting shade of purple as she struggled and gasped for air. Benitsubasa meanwhile was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her cheeks. The normally composed and frightening Takami looked to be struggling to reboot her brain.

Naruto however, stood there with his hands on his hips eyes squinted shut, mouth stretched wide looking very much like a fox with his whisker like cheek marks. Very special Ashikabi indeed she thought to herself.

**x~X~x**

After Takami pulled herself together she quickly brought order to the spectacle behind her with her usual flair, shouting and giving both Sekirei a swift kick; ordering them to pick up Karasuba and take her inside to the med-center. Benitsubasa bent down and shouldered her squad leader then followed Haihane inside to the elevator. Before they got out of range Naruto called out to the pair with one last comment. "Tell Orenji-chan that if she wants her sword back she has to fight me for it! But I'm keeping the haori though, it's too cool to give up."

Haihane burst out laughing once again and almost fell over if Benitsubasa hadn't given her a hard kick to her ass to keep her on her feet and moving forward.

Gesturing for the remaining pair to follow her inside Takami lead them to an elevator and waited until the doors shut and they started ascending before she spoke. "Mind telling me why you felt the need to collect her sword and haori? Or why you dyed her hair orange?"

"She was trying to bully me and Aki-chan into going with her. When I politely declined she threatened us with that sword of hers. It seemed fitting to take it for myself once I knocked her out. And the haori just looked so cool that I couldn't resist taking it. As for the hair, she did something unforgivable, so I did something unforgettable." Naruto replied with a foxy smile.

Takami could only shake her head at the man beside her and silence descended on the trio as the lift continued its ascent. The elevator stopped 10 floors shy of the top and as the doors opened Takami turned to Akitsu and pointed to the doctor waiting outside the doorway. "This is your stop for now Akitsu. This doctor will run some tests on you to make sure you're healthy and nothing went wrong with your winging. He has instructions to bring you back to us after he has concluded your tests."

Nodding to the woman Akitsu turned to Naruto as he pulled her into a hug, kissing her on her forehead causing her to turn pink. "I'll see you soon Aki-chan. Take care of yourself and don't let them do anything funny. And to make sure they behave themselves... "Naruto trailed off and in a puff of smoke and Akitsu was now seeing double.

"I will send along a chaperon to make sure." The second Naruto took Akitsu's hand and gently pulled her out with him proving to all 3 gaping witnesses that this second Naruto was solid and able to interact with his surroundings.

The doors closed and Takami pulled herself together once again. Pressing the button for the top floor and swiping her security badge for clearance the car ascended once more in silence. Arriving at their destination Takami lead Naruto through a reception area and opened up the large old fashion double doors leading into what he assumed to be Minaka's office. He was proven correct when he walked in and got his first look at the "Son of a Bitch".

Naruto had to give him props for style as the man was dressed in all white sporting white hair that would look right at home on his former sensei. Granted white wasn't as cool as orange but hey, to each his own. Although at first glance he was almost as tall as himself, Naruto spotted what looked like men's platform shoes giving him another 6 inches or so in height. Takami walked up to stand next to Minaka and turned back to Naruto. "Let me introduce you to Hiroto Minaka, founder and CEO of MBI. Minaka this is..."

"What's with the shoes man?" Naruto interrupted. Not being able to resist asking about the outlandish shoes. "I mean is he compensating for something? Or is he just that insecure about himself?"

Scowling irritably at his interruption Takami processed his question and unable to help herself she glanced down at Minaka's feet then at Minaka himself and chuckled. Minaka meanwhile simply sputtered and waved his arms frantically as he tried to reclaim his (in his mind) cool image. "I'll have you know these shoes are the latest fashion now, everybody who is somebody owns a pair! And I am quite secure with myself thank you very much."

Reclaiming his previous pompous stance Minaka addressed Naruto with a serious look. "Now then I believe we're all here to discuss you and your role in what I like to call "The Sekirei Plan" Uzumaki Naruto-san. I have to tell you, digging up even your name was a chore, not to mention breaking through the encryption that the UN's Senior Advisory Council placed on your files. But thankfully MBI has the most advanced technology on the planet so now we know what they know about you. So tell me Uzumaki-_sama_, what bring such a powerful entity to our little slice of the word?" Minaka asked with his eyes ablaze with curiosity.

If Naruto didn't have a reason not to trust this man before he definitely had one now Only key world leaders and parts of their respective governments knew his full name. And those that did kept it a closely guarded secret. Naruto had a loose "cease fire" with the powers that be, they didn't interfere with his life or try to obstruct it in anyway; and he in turn didn't reduce their armed forces to scrap. It's worked OK for the last century or so. The late 20th century saw the most of the more violent disagreements and except for the occasional black-ops team here and there (mostly from China and Russia, though the bastards were quick to deny it) Naruto managed coexist with the normal population being none the wiser.

"I can't believe that we have a God among men living with us for so long, and to think that now you're here with us now as a participant for my grand game. It truly humbles me and I can't wait to see what effects your presence will have on it!"

Naruto gave a dismissal shrug before replying. "You call me a "God", I'm far from it. I'm a simple traveler exploring the world and its many wonders." Naruto was now giving the man all of his attention, his face losing its carefree look as he adopted a serious posture. "Speaking my name so casually knowing at least a little of who I am and what I can do. I wonder what makes you think that you have me as a participant in this "game" of yours. What's to stop me from walking out the door with Akitsu and never looking back? After ensuring that you're taken care of, of course" At this point Naruto had pulled Karasuba's sword from its sheath and was giving it a cursory once over. Takami straighten a little and took a slow but pointed step away from her boss who didn't seem the least bothered by Naruto's actions or words.

Smiling wide at the implied threat, Minaka gave a theatrical bow before replying. "It's quite simple Uzumaki-sama. Let me begin with a little story. 21 years ago I and one other discovered a crashed alien ship on an island that rose from the ocean floor in Japanese coastal waters. And inside we found 108 life forms that we later named "Sekirei". On board were 1 adult, 8 embryos and 99 fertilized eggs that closely resembled humans in some kind of suspended animation. Using the technology from the spaceship I founded what would later become MBI. Using the technology onboard we began to study the life forms onboard and awoke them in order. We found that while physically similar to humans, they possessed far greater physical and mental abilities."

Minaka took to pacing back and forth as he went on with his story. "In order for them to adapt to life among a weaker species we began to make "adjustments" to them to both limit their powers until they could better control them, and to make them more compatible with humans. You see one of our top scientists discovered that all Sekirei could bond with a special being called an "Ashikabi", An Ashikabi once bonded with a Sekirei, brought out their full potential and power and forever linked them. Of course I took some precautions when designing the adjustment process to ensure that our efforts wouldn't be met with misfortune."

By now Takami wore a look of disgust and shame while Minaka looked almost maniacal. "Part of their adjustments included some of the overtechnology from their own ship that gives me compete control over all Sekirei, and that technology is tied to my life force. If I were to die they all shut down. If I fail to enter in the right code sequence on a regular basis, they shut down. So you see Uzumaki-chan, I control the fate of the Sekirei, ALL of them. It would be in your best interests to do exactly as I ask otherwise I can't guarantee that poor, poor Akitsu-chan will walk away from this."

It took all the self-control his extended life afforded him to reign in his desire to disembowel Minaka on the spot. Naruto might not have known Akitsu for more than half a day, and he might not know any of the other Sekirei aside from Karasuba, Haihane and Benitsubasa; but Naruto could never live with himself if his actions might cause the deaths of 104 innocent beings. Minaka had him backed into a corner, and Minaka knew it, but Naruto wasn't about to take this laying down either.

Sheathing his new sword Naruto adopted a non-aggressive pose then spoke. "Alright Minaka. You have my attention. But if you expect me to play along in your game then you need to tell me what the game is, and my role in it."

Minaka observed Naruto for a moment before launching into the details of his game. Content that he had the upper hand on such a powerful individual.

**x~X~x**

Meanwhile, far below the powers that be in their discussion of the Sekirei Plan, Haihane and Benitsubasa had a dilemma of their own. The reason for the dilemma was currently sitting on a couch in the medical wing of the tower. Before they could get Karasuba to the doctor's room she had woken up, squirming and wiggling in her bindings she tried to talk only to find that she was also gagged. Not wanting to risk angering her any further Benitsubasa opted to deposit her on a free couch and took a quick step back. The process of her being set down brought another factor to Karasuba's attention, not only was she bound and gagged but her once ash grey hair was now bright orange. Shrieking in rage she attempted to jump to her feet but the low slung couch coupled with her tied legs made it impossible.

Giving her subordinates a withering glare she demanded that they release her from her bindings. Of course the only thing the pair heard was a muffled voice attempting to communicate with them. Turning to Haihane, Benitsubasa gestured to their boss. "Well, you heard her, untie her."

Haihane glanced at Karasuba and inwardly calculated the odds of her releasing her boss and not getting her ass kicked for seeing Karasuba in such a vulnerable position. Looking at her shorter partner she shook her head. "Uh uh, not doing it. You do it, I don't wanna die."

Giving her partner an angry glare Benitsubasa fired right back. "And you think I want to risk her wrath? I have too much to live for to risk my life like that."

The pair soon descended into a squabble over who would take one for the team and free the bloodthirsty Sekirei while said Sekirei sat a few feet from them giving them a murderous glare. Watching the 2 bicker back and forth for 5 minutes before they began a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would live and who would die. They went back and forth winning and losing equally, by now Karasuba had adopted the most innocent look she could fake, giving the 2 idiots an eye-smile that would have made Kakashi proud in the hope that it would lure them into untying her so she could take care of them, then exact her revenge on the man who undoubtedly put her in this position.

"Hah! I win, suck it up Haihane you lost so move your ass and untie her" Casting a fearful look at their squad leader Haihane shivered in terror at the innocent look she was trying to pull off. Shaking her head she turned back to Benitsubasa. "No best 26 of 50" And with that they once again lost themselves in the game.

The pair were suddenly subjected to an overwhelming blood lust, as one they slowly turned around to find Karasuba standing right behind them, still with her innocent smile that was in direct contrast to the killing intent she was giving off. Oh, and she wasn't tied up anymore, the reason being the doctor who had happened to be walking down the hallway when he came across the trio of odd Sekirei. He stopped to untie Karasuba then after giving the other 2 a confused look walked away.

Cracking her knuckles and advancing to the now quivering pair she addressed them properly this time without the gag interfering. "Now ladies, why don't you and I have a little chat on why I was tied up, gagged, missing my sword and haori, and of course why the 2 of you didn't see fit to relieve me of my bindings sooner. And depending on your answer, I might let you two off with just a "light" beating."

Haihane and Benitsubasa were now hugging each other and nodded fearfully before they hurried to inform her of what they knew.

Karasuba listened patiently as they brought her up to speed, asking a clarifying question now and then. Once the pair had finished she cracked her knuckles again and true to her word administered a "light" beating. Relishing in the screams of torment she turned on her heel and headed off to her quarters to shower and change. Then she would seek out the bastard who humiliated her and make him pay.

After a long hot shower Karasuba walked naked to her closet toweling her long hair off, anger raging once again at what that bastard had done to her hair. Now she wasn't one to focus too much on her looks like some of her sisters did, but she was woman enough to feel enraged by what was done to it. And why orange? Of all colors why orange? She will have to dye it back ASAP lest more people see her in this state. Standing in front of the mirror she absently rubbed the ugly bruise that encompassed her entire abdomen.

_Just what the hell is he? No human could have done this to me. _She thought to herself as she planned her next moves to confront the blonde and show him just who he had messed with. Throwing the towel into the hamper she turned to head to her closet to get dressed when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Leaning closer to the mirror she stared in disbelieve at the sight in front of her.

Throughout the tower normal business was interrupted by a below of rage

"**I'll fucking kill that bastard!"**

3 floors up Haihane and Benitsubasa were still twitching on the ground when they heard Karasuba's unmistakable shout. "I guess she finally noticed what that bastard drew on her face, huh Beni-chan?" In too much pain to respond Benitsubasa simply nodded softy and hoped that Karasuba wouldn't take it out on them.

On the top floor Naruto sneezed while listening to Minaka drone on about his plan. A wicked gleam came to his eyes as he heard the shout of rage a moment later then turned back to Minaka pushing Karasuba's response to the back of his mind until later.

End


	4. Chapter 4

Wow. I can't believe the feedback I received from several people about how Naruto was owned by Minaka, and that he was a complete "noob" for being as old and experienced as he is, to be letting Minaka walk all over him. I explained that my Naruto won't be walking around with "God Mode" activated. If Naruto is too OP then what's the point of writing a fanfic where Naruto just takes the bad guy out with one move in the first chapter? As I also I am trying to keep Naruto as close to his natural personality as possible. Naruto isn't one to always be on his guard to begin with. I'd imagine that any being with his power and experience after so many years would get a little complacent and underestimate normal humans. Naruto strikes me to be the kind of person who "reacts" to a situation rather than be "proactive".

While he does have a wealth of experience to draw from but he isn't all knowing-all powerful. Those same people must have skipped over the part where Naruto went back to work on Karasuba after his phone call with Minaka, and again what he was thinking at the end of his face to face conversation. There are plenty of great Naruto/Sekirei fanfic's featuring a BAMF Naruto but I'm trying a different approach with a believably strong Naruto who isn't infallible, but also isn't a rookie genin. There is a reason for listing in the summary that Naruto will be on the sidelines of the Sekirei fights.

To the people asking about Naruto's harem, I have the initial parings set for 3 girls until the end with other Naruto/Sekirei interactions throughout the story. And sorry to disappoint but Karasuba isn't among the 3 at first but I do have plans for her and her relationship with Naruto. I hope you'll all be surprised and pleased with how this story ends for her.

To everyone else, thanks for the great reviews and helpful comments on grammar or misused words. I have gone back and edited the previous chapters for grammar and word usage mistakes.

This chapter coming to you from my hotel in Shinjuku when I wrote this after exhausting myself with touring Tokyo.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. If I did I would have a smarter Naruto and a Harem style anime where the main character actually wants to bang all the girls and doesn't run from them.

Chapter 4

Deep within the heart of MBI Tower, employees ranging from guards and office workers to scientists and lab assistants went about their daily duties. Moving amongst the unaware workforce Naruto clone #3 kept hidden as he utilized one of his old sensei's Gama Ninjutsu, Gama Daira Kage Ayatsuri no Jutsu to hide in the shadows of employees he had taken control of. Having learned a variety of Gama Ninjutsu from Ma and Pa after the end of the 4th Great Shinobi World War, Naruto sought to learn as much from the toads as he could to hold up to the title of "Gama Sage" that was passed down to him after Jiraiya's death.

While he had learned a great many jutsu from the elder toad, excelling in combat and combination techniques, Naruto had to admit that he struggled with the espionage techniques that Jiraiya exceled at. His old sensei was so skilled in this particular jutsu that he could freely control anyone whose shadow he merged with while the target and was completely unaware, Naruto could only subtly guide his targets in specific directions. Walk forward, turn right, stop; leaving the victim confused as to his movements after being released.

It worked well enough for normal humans though as they were unaware that they could be controlled in such a manner and when they came to their senses after Naruto left their shadow, their short term memory loss and confusion on how they arrived there was dismissed as stress. This allowed clone Naruto to move about the tower as he pleased, always on the lookout for the important looking people and having his "ride" follow them to key locations in the tower. After 4 hours of shadow hopping Clone #3 finally arrived at his main objective, having already marked several secondary points around the building and anything else that looked important (one never knew when he might want to swing by the kitchen of a multibillion dollar corporation headquarters, they might have ramen after all.) The entrance to MBI's central mainframe. Ponderously maneuvering the guard just out of camera range he exited the shadow of the hapless security guard he used to get there, Naruto quickly concealed himself in in his favorite Ninjutsu for sneaking around. The guard now released from his limited control shook his head and looked around in confusion before wandering off back to his station.

As his Tōton Jutsu snapped into place clone #3 made sure to keep to the cameras blind spots. While he knew from past experience that the light reflecting transparency jutsu couldn't be detected by video surveillance, he could still be detected by cameras that included infrared optics and without knowing if the tower had any or where they might be located he took the safe route and stayed out of site clinging to the ceiling with chakra and waited for someone to open the security doors.

Clone #3 got his chance an hour later when one of the guards opened the door leading into the central mainframe to as he conducted his rounds. Utilizing a burst of chakra clone #3 shot through the now open door before it could close behind the guard then leapt back up to the ceiling to wait for the guard to finish his inspection. A few minutes later clone #3 had the room to himself and crawled across the ceiling noting where the camera coverage was and if there was any dead zones in their coverage. The room was massive, spanning almost the length and width of the floor he was currently on housing row upon row of server towers, networking stations and hard drive towers with small and large workstations scattered around the room along the walls. The security inside was impressive, overlapping camera coverage and laser trip wires at regular intervals. But every security system had a weak spot.

Giving a fist pump in victory at his luck he found one tucked up next to a large workstation station along the far side of the room. MBI probably never thought that anyone would be able to get in so far without detection so they didn't bother to cover the workstation from more than one angle. Maneuvering to a position right above the console he release his hold on the ceiling and dropped to next to the console and pressed his back to the corner formed by the wall and workstation to keep himself shielded from view by the only camera covering the console from the opposite angle. Clone #3 pulled out a small fold out knife he found in one of the many offices he explored and began carving a seal into wall taking great care to avoid any mistakes and lamenting on how much more of pain in the ass it was when not using ink.

It took #3 almost 30 minutes to carefully carve out the seal he had already placed around other points of the tower. Pushing chakra in the new seal to activate it #3 gave it a once over to make sure it worked properly before allowing himself to dispel after he hid the knife behind the console. Alerting the real Naruto that his task was compete.

Taking a moment to review the memories of his clone, the real Naruto broke out into a vulpine grin as the 2nd step in his plan in countering Minaka was competed.

**x~X~x**

6 ½ hours earlier.

Naruto stood in Minaka's office reflecting on what he had been told about the Sekirei Plan. Minaka made no effort to hide his pleasure as he explained in detail what his "Grand Game" would consist of. The plan had 4 stages beginning with the release of the Sekirei in Shinto Teito. Stage 2 (which was the current stage) would begin when 90% of them had been winged, 3rd stage pitted the Sekirei/Ashikabi in arranged matches. The 4th and final stage had the surviving Sekirei/Ashikabi contestants gather for the yet to be announced event. Defeated Sekirei would be collected by MBI and brought back to the tower where they would be treated, but never be allowed to return to their Ashikabi as their crests that marked the proof of their bonds to each other would be gone.

Enforcing the rules of the game was the Disciplinary Squad. A team of highly trained Sekirei whose fighting skills were a cut above their kin, it was their job to punish Ashikabi and Sekirei who broke the rules or acted out against MBI. Apparently the 2 Sekirei that he met at the base of the tower were members of the squad and Karasuba was the leader and according to Minaka the strongest Sekirei in the game. Inwardly smiling at his fortune for having met Karasuba when he did and the precautions he took before bringing her back to the tower he focused back on Minaka.

Naruto paid particular attention to Minaka's explanation of the winging process and what it meant to Sekirei. Raising his eyebrow at a particular piece of news that Minaka mentioned offhandedly during his recounting. Apparently Naruto was now "mated" to Akitsu according to their customs, and Sekirei mated for life. Filing that bit of news away for later reflection Naruto knew that he would need a lot more information than what Minaka would willingly give up and planned to do a little digging himself once he was done here. Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts when the doors to the office blew off their hinges and a menacing blood-lust descended on the room as a black blur darted right for him. Naruto turned around just in time to receive a vicious kick to the face that sent him crashing into the wall on the other side of the room.

Landing gracefully after administering a devastating blow to the object of her rage Karasuba stalked towards Naruto's prone form. Bright orange hair waved around in an unfelt breeze, fingers hooked like claws and eyes alight with murderous rage her mouth twisted in a snarl, she truly looked like a rabid dog about to make its kill. Or maybe a fox would be a better term as her once unblemished and beautiful face was marred by whisker like tattoos, 3 on each cheek not unlike the face of the man she was about to kill.

"You fucking piece of shit! By the time I'm done carving up your body you'll be begging me to kill you!" She raged even as she prepared to pounce on Naruto only to stop short as her target erupted in a puff of smoke revealing the grandiose chair from behind Minaka's desk.

Takami and Minaka stood stock still out of reflex from exposure to the level of killing intent that Karasuba subjected them to. Never before had the pair felt her produce anything close to what they were feeling. Takami was trembling and her face went ashen, even Minaka whitened a bit before forcing himself to relax and chuckle at spectacle that was taking place in his office. Then Naruto's prone form vanished to reveal his shattered chair leaving 2 dumbstruck humans and 1 still pissed of Sekirei. All tree whipped around to face Minaka's desk when a voice casually rose in the growing silence.

"Nice Kick Orenji-chan. That might have really hurt if you had actually hit me." Gesturing to Minaka he continued. "Thankfully though this assholes ridiculous chair was available to take the hit instead."

Shouting a wordless battle cry Karasuba lunged at Naruto faster than the 2 humans could see, planting one hand on the desk and using it to pivot around and lash out with kick that could shatter concrete. Naruto simply ducked down then rising quicker than Karasuba could react he knocked her hand out from under her causing her to spin wildly to the ground then jumping over the desk to land in the middle of the room and waited for her to recover.

Demonstrating remarkable agility Karasuba twisted to land in a crouch then pushed off towards Naruto, she reached him barely a second after he arrived and engaged him in a vicious bout of hand to hand combat. Nothing worked though as Naruto demonstrated his superior skill in Taijutsu and blocked or defected all of her punches and kicks with little effort.

Screaming in frustration Karasuba leapt back from the combat and re-evaluated her opponent. Without her sword all she could rely on was the unarmed combat training she received as a member of the 1st generation Disciplinary Squad. She was more than capable of holding her own against any of the double digit Fist-type Sekirei, but her forte had always been her skill with a blade and without it even Karasuba could swallow her pride and admit that she couldn't defeat any of her single digit brethren.

Smirking at her frustrated glare Naruto decided to put an end to both the fight and Minaka's believe that he had Naruto bent over a barrel. Raising his right hand in a half Ram seal Naruto channeled a bit of chakra and activated his contingency plan.

Karasuba shifted into a lower stance preparing to attack when previously hidden seals sprang to life on her forearms and shins. One moment Karasuba was about to pounce on her target and the next she felt her arms violently pulled the floor as if they suddenly weighed several hundred pounds. Her legs now felt like lead and they buckled under the extreme stress place on them leaving her panting on her hands and knees, completely at Naruto's mercy.

Eyes wide in surprise and horror she shouted at Naruto. "What have you done to me? Why can't I move?"

When Naruto spoke he wasn't addressing Karasuba instead he turned to Minaka, his face once more serious. "I would like to re-visit your believe that you are holding all the cards in this little game of yours. By your own admission Karasuba is the strongest Sekirei participating in this stupid game of yours. I wonder what would happen if she was taken out? Could the remaining members of the Disciplinary Squad enforce your will? Having met them both I can safely say that they don't hold the same level of power that I can sense in her."

Walking over to the helpless Sekirei Naruto drew his sword and placed the blade at her neck. Turning to face the humans in the room he took in Takami's disbelieving stare and Minaka's confused face. It would seem that he was no longer enjoying the situation. So focused on Naruto both Minaka and Takami missed the soft popping sound and the small puff of smoke that rose from behind the desk where Naruto had suddenly appeared during Karasuba's initial attack.

When Naruto used Kawarimi no Jutsu to avoid Karasuba's attack he made a fast shadow clone that hid under the desk while Naruto kept the rooms attention on him. Clone #2 was made with specific instructions to dispel it's self when he was sure that no one in the room would notice him.

**x~X~x**

10 floors down clone #1 blinked as he processed the memories from clone #2. Eyes darting back to Akitsu who was lying down on an examination table being fussed over by a team of medics and scientists. No one was paying any attention to him at the moment so he quietly stepped into the hallway and after ensuring that he was alone he created another clone. Clone #3 nodded to #1 then turned around and set off on his mission activating Tōton no Jutsu he disappeared into the tower.

Clone #1 smirked as he walked back into the room and resumed his guarding of Akitsu. Minaka really didn't know who he was messing with.

**x~X~x**

The real Naruto continued to pressure Minaka without removing the sword at Karasuba's neck. "After she attacked me the 1st time I was going to let her off with just the prank on her hair and face, which I think makes you look sexy by the way, but after your little phone call I decided to take some precautions. I thought you might try to use Akitsu against me but I never even considered that you could dig up who I am after a short phone call. Nor that you would go so far as to use her entire species hostage for your own twisted personal game. When I applied those seals to Karasuba they were intended to be used to blackmail her into helping me you if you tried anything. But after your explanation I can see that my original plan will be useless with the control you claim to have on her kind." Glancing back down at the still raging Sekirei who was struggling to right herself and met her murderous gaze. "But now I see that you also have a measure of control over her. Tell me Orenji-chan, do you serve him out of your own free will? Or is he holding your leash in one hand and your life in the other?"

"That weakling? Have control over me? What the hell are you talking about you bastard? My only reason in working with him is I get to fight and kill, both Humans and Sekirei. It's a business deal nothing more. Once I'm bored with this shit I'll leave and do whatever I want and if he tries to stop me then I'll pitch his crazy ass off the roof of his precious tower." She replied. Offended at the very idea of being controlled by anyone.

"Real now? You mean you didn't know about the kill switch Minaka supposedly implanted you and every other Sekirei with? One that he allegedly tied to himself as a failsafe to ensure compete cooperation by the lot of you?" Naruto smiled ruefully at Karasuba, removing his sword he sheathed it and moved to stand a few feet away where he could observe all three without turning his head. "It would seem that Minaka has been keeping secrets from his own people." Takami was chain smoking by this point trying to relieve the building stress while Minaka stood next to her, his face unreadable.

"What I've done is applied 2 separate modified seals on Karasuba's arms and legs. The seals on her legs are called Resistance Seals. They apply force against her legs proportionate to the amount of energy I feed it. Right now every time she tries to move them it will feel like trying to walk waist deep through quicksand. Her arms are equipped with Gravity Seals, again depending on how much energy I feed into them will determine the effect gravity has on them. I have them set on 15x normal gravity at the moment so it should prove nearly impossible for her to raise them."

His gaze sharpening Naruto let his chakra surge within him, in response the atmosphere in the room seemed to thicken and make it harder to breathe while they felt an immense pressure press down on their shoulders making it hard for the 2 humans to remain on their feet. Karasuba was less affected as she had felt his power before when he defeated, and it felt far more powerful at that time than now.

"You want me to participate in you little mad game? So be it. But I will not stand by and allow you to use Akitsu against me. If that means winning the game to ensure her safety then I will. But I will tell you only once Minaka. If you do anything to Akitsu then I will ensure that your strongest enforcer is removed from this game and safeguard or not I will tear this building down around you and bury you in it." By this point Naruto's eyes bled a menacing crimson and his pupils tuned to slits. This effect combined with his overwhelming feel of his unrestrained chakra forced Takami to her knees, her trembling legs no longer able to support her weight as she struggled to stay conscious. A shiver went down Karasuba's spine as she watched the physical transformation Naruto went through while the power she felt from him caused an internal war as she struggled with equal parts awe, fear, anger and excitement. _This feeling. His power is so similar to #1's, but I've never felt like this when facing her. So why am so affected by his? I…I want to fight him. I feel so alive right now! _

Minaka felt his excitement grow as he allowed himself a small laugh at Naruto's threat. "Yes! This is what we needed to spice things up around here! Your contribution to the game will surely guarantee our ascension to the realm of the Gods!" He pushed his glasses further up his nose letting the light reflect off the lenses giving him an ominous look. "I'm glad you see thing my way Naruto-kun. Now let me be clear about something. This game is for the Sekirei and Ashikabi to work together to win, but the actual fighting is for the Sekirei only. I can't have you demonstrating anymore of your marvelous talents to simply take out your competition so I must ask, insist really that you leave the Sekirei battles to Akitsu. And I will leave your Sekirei alone as long as you release Karasuba from your control. If you choose to ignore me on this issue then I WILL take out Akitsu and take my chances with you afterwards." Minaka replied with his own conditions.

"I will release Karasuba when we leave but I will not remove the seals. It's my only guarantee against you. And I'll stay out of the fights between Sekirei provided they act with in the rues you spoke of earlier. They attack innocents I will take them down. And I reserve the right to defend myself if they attack me. If there are more Sekirei out there like Orenji-chan here then they might attack me as well as Akitsu." Naruto countered.

Both men were locked in a heated staring match few several minutes before Minaka relented. "Very well. Sekirei attacking humans, Ashikabi included is against the rules anyway. Those that do will be "punished" by the Disciplinary Squad so it makes no difference to me if you deal with them first. But I trust that you will not abuse your "seals" on Karasuba?"

"No more than you will "abuse" your control over Akitsu." Naruto replied allowing his chakra to return to its normal flow.

"Now then. Takami-chan, pick yourself up and return Naruto-kun to Akitsu and make sure to assign her an MBI card for their expenses. I must return to my duties" Minaka said while turning away from Naruto and walking back to his desk. Takami snapped out of her stupor at her bosses order and stood slowly as she tried to recover her dignity. Gesturing for Naruto to follow she led him back to the elevator and selected the appropriate floor. Giving Naruto a calculating look Takami began making plans of her own.

**x~X~x**

Naruto laid on his back naked tucked under the covers of the rather large bed his hotel room had. After collecting Akitsu they left MBI tower and traveled north putting some distance until Naruto found an upscale 5 star hotel. Apparently you didn't need an ID to check in when you drop a MBI Platinum card that has an unlimited credit line. What he didn't know was that all MBI owned business were instructed to accept any customer in passion of one of the Platinum cards and to not ask for identification since Sekirei had none. Deciding to utilize it to the fullest Naruto booked the presidential suite and live it large for a bit while he considered their next move. After a nice long shower they retired to bed, Akitsu exhausted mentally and emotionally from her experiences, she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Once Naruto joined her under the covers she rolled over and pressed as much of herself against him as was physically possible. Idly brushing Akitsu's hair as she slept practically on top of him, also naked he reached for the small piece of paper laying on the nightstand.

After Takami brought Naruto to where Akitsu was being examined she left only to return 20 minutes later. She handed over a credit card and a cell phone then explained that the card was to be used to cover expenses for the both of them and the phone was for communication. A short while later when she led them back out Takami slipped Naruto a small folded piece of paper and whispered for him to read it once he left the property.

Reading the note again Naruto wondered whether or not he could trust Takami. Reflecting on her behavior from introduction to his confrontation with Minaka, she seemed to have issues with Minaka's "game" as well. _Head north. MBI has limited assets in that sector of the city as it's protected by "the Hannya of the North". Seek out Izumo Inn, you will find allies there. The phone can be tapped so have "the spectacled pervert" deal with it. _

Setting the note back down he resoled to give it more thought after some rest. He would be able to make a better plan once his clone finishes his mission back at the tower. Until then he might as well enjoy his new companion's overly clingy bedside habit. Rolling onto his side he pulled her flush against his chest and buried his face in her hair. A warm sensation blossomed in his chest as she nuzzled her face in his chest he allowed himself to drift off to sleep even as he idly reflected on how close he felt to Akitsu after only knowing her for a day. Must be this "bond" he now had with her.

**x~X~x**

The next morning Naruto awoke from a night of the best sleep he had in years. He contributed this to both the king-sized luxury bed he currently laid in, and the beautiful (and naked) woman he was spooning against. Chest pressed against her back arms wrapped around her keeping her flushed against him, legs intertwined with hers he noted that Akitsu's body temperature seemed to be several degrees colder than any other woman he had slept with. With her cooler body offsetting his naturally warm one they managed to stay cuddled all night without getting hot and having to separate like he was used to after a night with a woman.

Deciding that he was too comfortable to get up right now he remained spooned with Akitsu and reviewed the memories of his clone from the previous day. His clone managed to tag 5 separate locations inside MBI's Tower, 3 critical (Central Mainframe, elevator shaft leading to Minaka's office and the main research labs dedicated to Sekirei's) and 2 noncritical locations (The kitchen? Really? Stupid clone with food on the brain and a lower supply room that will give him access to the sub levels of the building) which gave him a means to slip back inside when needed. Speaking of which, he needed to re-enforce the seals soon with real ink. The problem with etching seals on things without utilizing special ink infused with chakra means that they would only work once, maybe twice before failing.

Focusing briefly he created 20 clones and speaking softly he broke them in to 3 groups and gave them instructions. 4 clones would Henge and would assume sentry duty on the hotel, 1 clone would take the MBI card and go purchase various supplies, the rest would spread out and scout the northern section of the city utilizing various Henge's to hide their movements. Takami didn't give him an address for this "Izumo Inn" so he would have to look the old fashion way. His clones filed out to from the bedroom to the massive common area of the suite and exited out the balcony transforming into various life forms in the process.

Slipping back into a light doze Naruto was woken an hour later by the memories of one of his clones dispelling. His clone had found a large abandoned warehouse 10 blocks from the hotel that would serve as a good training ground if Akitsu was to win this game then he had to know what she was capable of.

Gently shaking her to wake her up Naruto was treated the cute site of Akitsu mewing in displeasure and tried to burry he head further in the covers. Adopting a mischievous grin he trailed his had up to her side and began to tickle her. Akitsu as it turns out is extremely ticklish. Shrieking she tried to wiggle out of his arms but Naruto held on tight and spent the next few minutes "playing" with his Sekirei. The Akitsu from yesterday was calm and collected, displaying practically no emotion except when interacting with him. Even those were muted compared to what he would consider normal people. It might have bothered him if he couldn't feel the warmth in the back of his mind from his connection to Akitsu. While he couldn't read her mind or feel her emotions. The best way was to describe it was like comparing hot and cold temperatures.

Every time Naruto spoke to her, looked at her or even simply touched her he felt the little part of him that connected to her grow warm. And whenever she was focusing on someone else that connection cooled to an almost icy feeling. And right now Akitsu was positively glowing both physically and through his bond. Her face was flushed, her eyes twinkled and the room was filled with her angelic laugh as she fought against his assault. She looked radiant. Pinning her under his body, arms held above her head face flushed, panting and trying to catch her breath. Naruto took in the breathtaking sight of this goddess beneath him. He was reminded of how he found her, broken hearted and depressed with nothing to live for.

Naruto decided then that he would do everything in his power to show her that she was wrong. He would make sure that she would get a chance to shine like a diamond and live life to the fullest. He would see to it that every day she had a reason to glow just like she was now.

Kissing her softly he held her close as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him closer deepening the kiss and moaning into his mouth. Bright wings of light flowed from her back as the make out session continued, stretching to the walls and bending upon contact. They kept growing causing the wings to "bounce" of every wall and soon they were enveloped in a cocoon of light.

Pulling back from the kiss he did his best to ignore Akitsu's whimper even as she ground herself against him. Sitting up allowing the sheets to fall from his form he took in all of her pale but now flushed body. His desire was also evident as she got her first view of his naked form. Tall and lean his body was that of a runner or swimmer, lean and defined muscles decorated his tanned body with his manhood at full mast. She flushed further in desire and gave an approving moan at her Ashikabi.

Scooting back on his knees Naruto pulled Akitsu to the middle of the large bed and rolled her over onto her back. He was determined to make this a special time for her. Akitsu startled as a second naked Naruto phased into existence and the two of them scooted back a bit more and grabbed both of her feet.

Akitsu was soon reduced to soft moans and whimpers as her Ashikabi, Ashikabi's? began a slow and thorough massage starting at her feet and moving up. Missing nothing the pair worked in tandem as they brought her to the edge of ecstasy as their hands roamed her body working her muscles and exploring every inch of her body. By the time the pair got to her thighs she was leaking heavily and moaning loudly as they caressed teased her leaving her desperate for more. Working around her thighs and ass the pair moved to her back and sides, fingers stroking the sides of her breasts once and awhile. Moving on to her neck and arms they kneaded the tense muscles into pliable goo they finished by gently rolling her over on her back.

Naruto dispelled his clone and lowered himself onto of the panting woman and was taken aback when she mashed her lips on his and wrapped her legs around his waist letting him know that she wanted him to finish what he started. Naruto happily complied and after lining himself up he gently pushed into her.

She came immediately. His massage had her so worked up and aroused that his initial coupling was the final straw. Smirking at her howl of pleasure (it's always the quiet ones) he mused as she couldn't keep silent anymore.

An hour later Naruto was once more cuddling with a sleeping Akitsu. Having passed out not to long ago after experiencing Naruto's legendary stamina Naruto chuckled as he reflected on how his quiet and refined Akitsu turned into a demon in the sack. Being loud wasn't his only pleasant surprise, Akitsu apparently was VERY adventurous and loved to experiment. Naruto ran her though the gauntlet of positions he knew of and couldn't help but bark out a laugh when she asked if his clones could be used for more than just massages. It was always the quiet ones (Hinata loved for him to include his clones in their extracurricular activities.) and now he found another woman who appreciated his clones. She passed out only after he brought 1 into play. The added stimulation was too much for her to handle.

Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that she would ask for that particular technique in future couplings. For now though he would let her recover for a while before heading out for some training.

Looking as Akitsu's content face snuggled against his face Naruto couldn't help but think once more. It was always the quiet ones.

**x~X~x**

Hours later Naruto stood in the abandoned warehouse watching Akitsu try and beat his clones. He found that her preferred method for attack was to form foot long icicles sharpened to a razors edge that hovered in the air around her then launch them at her target. The shards were fairly fast and packed quite a punch, as evident by how far the pierced the ground when they missed their targets. Akitsu also showed that she could freeze objects by touching them and could form walls and barriers within about 5 meters of her person. She showed that when engaged in close quarters combat she was quick on her feet and had great reflexes to dodge attacks while retreating back to her comfortable striking range.

She was predictable though. All of her attacks were more or less frontal attacks, "Point and Shoot" type attacks. Anyone fast enough or had a strong enough defense could avoid her attacks. He would have to work on her ability to change the angle of her attacks and to be more unpredictable All in all she was a formidable opponent and he classify her as a mid to high Chuunin level.

Karasuba on the other hand was at least mid to high Jounin. She had showed impressive speed with her sword strike on his ramen bowl, her swing almost too fast for him to dodge at close range. Her movement speed too was high as she attempted to kill him in Minaka's office though her hand to hand skills were basic at best. Clearly she relied on her sword for her full capabilities but was competent enough to handle herself without it. As Akitsu was now she stood no chance against her and while Minaka boasted that Karasuba was the strongest participant in the game, if there were any other Sekirei close to her skill level then Akitsu would fall.

_Speak of the devil. _ Naruto thought as the memories of one of his sentry cones flashed in in mind. It seems like Karasuba wasted no time to tracking him down. Turning to where Akitsu was still trying to take out his remaining clone he addressed the pair. "Alright guys, take a break. We have company incoming and I want you two to watch from the sidelines."

Ceasing in their spar the clone nodded and moved back to the shadows pulling a confused Akitsu with him. Turing back to the main door to the warehouse Naruto crossed his arms and waited. Not a minute later the door opened and Karasuba stalked towards him like a lioness on the prowl wearing her usual uniform minus the haori and sword.

"Good day Orenji-chan! Fancy seeing you here. What can I do for you today?" He questioned with a fox grin.

"Cut the crap you bastard. You know damn well what I'm here for. No one humiliates me like that and lives to tell the tale. I will reclaim my sword from your cooling corpse, but not before you tell me how to reverse what you did to me." Her face set in stone she gestured to her face and hair. "These damn marks on my face won't come off no matter how hard I tried with every cleaner at MBI's disposal and I can't dye my hair back from his ridiculous color."

Feeling rather amused that she was still worked up over his prank he replied back. "What's wrong with your hair? I happened to love the color orange and in my ever so humble opinion it suites you rather well." Giving off a flirtatious smile he continued. "And you look rather cute with your whisker marks if I might add."

Face burning with anger or embarrassment or both, Karasuba once again launched herself at Naruto determined to make him suffer. Naruto met her half way and ducked under her kick he grabbed her leg and swung her around and off her feet before sending her careening towards a support beam. Flipping around she managed to plant her feet on the beam and push off it and renewed her attack on Naruto. Ducking dodging and occasionally delivering a sharp blow to her body Naruto avoided all of her attacks with minimal difficulty, simply allowing her to come to the realization that she was no match for him without her blade.

After almost 5 minutes of a furious but futile assault Karasuba leapt back from the action to regroup and regain her breath. Eyes reflecting her extreme displeasure in the outcome of the fight so far she snarled at him. "I'd like to see you smile like that when I have my sword in hand and at your throat. Then we'll see just how you'd fair against me."

Smiling at Karasuba Naruto reveled in the fight. It had been a very long time since anyone could actually make him work at winning a fight. Straight up Taijutsu was never his favorite but he was proficient at it, and Karasuba was a decent opponent for someone who is primarily a Kenjutsu user. Maybe it was time to up the stakes of the game. Pulling her sword from his waste he channeled wind chakra trough the sheath and stabbed in in the ground, resting his hand on the hilt. "I'll take you up on that Orenji-chan, but with some conditions of course. I'll give you your sword back and give you the fight you want, but if you lose then the sword stays with me and you have to accept your new cosmetic changes. If you win then I'll give you what you need to remove them and allow you to do as you please with me."

"What kind of fool are you? You would give me back my sword and allow me the chance to kill you?" Watching Naruto warily for any sign of a rouse she inched forward towards her sword. "Huh, fine. But no complaints from you when I remove your limbs one by one for everything you've done to me."

Naruto simply nodded and leapt back from the sword giving himself distance from her upcoming counter attack. "Of course. I want a good fight and I can't get that from you if you don't have your sword. I fully expect you not to hold back, and you can be sure that I will not either. I haven't had a good fight in a VERY long time."

"I'll give you more than a good fight. I'll give you your last one!" Snatching her blade from its sheath she blurred towards Naruto and swung it faster than the naked eye could see right through Naruto cutting him in half at the waist. Blinking in surprise at how quickly he went down it took her moment to remember what happed in Minaka's office. Sure enough the Naruto in front of her puffed into a small wooden crate, instincts screaming she pitched forward into a roll and barely dodged Naruto's spinning kick. Landing he pulled out two small blades of some kind then re-engaged her in a swift series of thrusts and cuts. Not to be out done Karasuba deflected those with mild effort then began her own attack. Slicing and cutting from every angle she pressed her advantages in reach and skill to drive Naruto back.

Now Naruto was on the back foot as she relentless attacked him never giving him a moment to form his own attack. His kunai were simply no match for her swords superior reach and he was no match for her Kenjutsu skills. Now that he was fighting her for real he reaffirmed his earlier assessment of her skill level. Definitely High Jounin. There was no way he would defeat her in a straight up Kenjutsu fight. Good thing he wasn't limited to just that.

Karasuba smiled viscously as she nearly gutted her opponent with a quick flourish of her blade and managed to knock one of those weirdly shaped knives from his hand with her follow through. He was a fool to give her back her sword. With it no human or Sekirei could stand before her. She didn't count Miya as a Sekirei, her power was too monstrous for her to be one of them. With one more flourish she disarmed him and spun a complete 180 for momentum and thrust her sword right through Naruto's stomach. He didn't disappear into smoke and nothing replace him, feeling confident that she finally got him she savored the look of surprise and pain on his face.

Face twisted in pain Naruto grabbed onto her bade with both hands before meeting her eyes before his expression cleared of pain to be replaced by a smirk. "Bang" He intoned before exploding and sending her to bounce across the floor 20 meters way. Recovering she managed to land on her feet and cringed as she felt in the damage she took from Naruto's suicide attack. Her clothes were singed and her arms, legs and face were covered in 2nd degree burns. Nothing she couldn't recover from after a few days. Glancing back at the small crater that used to be Naruto she scoffed at his apparent refusal to lose with dignity and his desperate attempt to take her down with him instead of accepting his fate. Walking back towards her sheath she was caught flatfooted when a voice came from behind her.

_**Futon: Renkudan no Jutsu! **_

Spinning around she was hit in the chest by a condensed ball of air that knocked her off her feet and stole her breath. Crashing painfully on her back she struggled briefly to draw in life giving air even as she rolled onto her knees and faced her attacker. Eyes widening when she spotted Naruto calmly walking towards her, his hands moving in strange patterns before stopping and crying out another attack.

_**Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu!**_

Naruto spat out a compressed ball of water at high velocity at Karasuba's recovering form. Rolling to the side she managed to avoid the attack watching in disbelief as it gouged a hole in the concrete. Kicking back to her feet she dodged a second ball of water and pulled herself together.

_How is he doing this? No human can manipulate the elements like this! Even elemental Sekirei can only utilize one element, yet this man used two_. More prepared for his third attack she focused her energy in her blade and spilt his attack in half, the two pieces flying harmlessly on either side of her.

"Direct attacks won't work on me. With my sword I can cut through anything, including your elemental attacks. You won't catch me by surprise again with those moves either." Feeling cocky she rushed at him once more, ready for anything he can throw at her.

"So you can deflect my direct elemental attacks? Well, how about indirect attacks." Fingers already flying through seals Naruto finished and slammed his hands deep into the ground seeking earth beneath the cement.

_**Doton: Yomi Numa! **_

Spreading like a wildfire the ground from Naruto's feet rolled and bubbled before mud burst from underneath and quickly tuned his part of the warehouse into a small swamp. Karasuba seeing this leapt back trying to avoid the swamp but after looking around she found no solid surface to land on as Naruto's attack hand already overtaken her airborne form. Gritting her teeth in frustration she landed with a wet squelch and immediately sank to her knees in the mud.

Swinging her sword as hard and as fast as she could Karasuba tried to clear enough of the gunk to escape, but for every blow that dislodged great clumps of the muddy earth more flowed in leaving her right back where she started. Anger slowly abating as her more rational mind took back control and analyzed the fight so far. When she traded blows with him up close she was clearly had the edge. But then broke out that strange but useful skill that allowed him to somehow replace himself with other objects allowing him to escape the worst of her strikes. Then when she thought she had him he somehow created an explosion that sent her reeling while leaving himself unharmed. Then he broke out ranged elemental techniques that caught her off guard. Three elements. He fought back with three different elements utilizing them in a way that made Mutsu, Kazahana and #9 look like kids throwing random attacks. He was proficient in close quarters, fast and nimble on his feet, could launch ranged elemental attacks and freely control the very earth they fought on. She could get around his ranged techniques but without a stable ground to fight on he had her completely at his mercy. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she realized that she couldn't defeat him as she was. She would need some time to plan a counter for his techniques. Huffing in irritation she gave up, allowing her body to relax she smiled up at Naruto's kneeling form, hands still planted on the ground keeping his attack alive.

"Ok you asshole, you've made your point. You win this round now let me out of this cesspool."

Naruto took a moment to observe Karasuba, making sure she meant what she said before controlling his swamp to "push" her up while hardening the ground back up. As she regained her feet and attempted in vain to wipe the mud off her body Naruto couldn't help but admire her. _Burnt and filthy she still looks damn good. Must be a Sekirei thing._ He thought.

Holding out his he addressed Karasuba. "Ok then. I won so hand the sword back over. At least until our next spar that is."

Scowling she tossed her bade hilt first in his direction while speaking. "What do you mean next spar? Was that all this was to you? A damn sparing match?"

"Of course. I don't fight to the death unless absolutely necessary And I haven't had a good sparring partner who could actually stand against me for quite some time." Giving her his signature foxy grin he continued. "And the thing about sparring is that since no one was killed we can fight again, And again if we want. Tell me Orenji-chan. Have you ever just fought for the thrill of the fight itself without trying to kill someone?"

Taken aback Karasuba took a minute to think it over before replying. "Never. Everyone I've ever fought was too weak to be considered anything other than trash, only 2 people have ever stood above me before. One I considered my rival, her ideals and mine were polar opposites and I did everything I could to egg her into fighting me so I could test myself b defeating her. The other was a demon in woman's skin. Her strength was so much greater than mine that she didn't even consider me a threat. I've trained my whole live to be the strongest, the only way to get stronger is to fight, and keep fighting while seeking strong opponents."

Her eyes flashed with her determination to achieve her goal and Naruto respected her drive, even if it seemed miss-placed to him. "Well then Orenji-chan, what do you thing would work better? Killing everyone you fight? Or allowing them to live and fight you another day once they've gotten stronger? The problem with your reasoning is that sooner or later you will reach the top, but what then? Who will be around you to challenge you once you've killed everyone off? "Shaking his head Naruto walked over the sheath and slid the blade back in.

"Take from me Karasuba. It's lonely at the top. One there was a time where there were scores of powerful people that I could fight, but with every passing generation the gaps between their skills and mine grew until they were mere shadows of the warriors I descended from. I've wandered this planet off and on for longer than I can accurately remember, always an outcast. Doomed to be alone with no one who could relate to me. "Voice filling with emotion and eyes losing some of their light he pressed on. "It's not worth it to stand at the top. I wouldn't wish that life on any true fighter."

"I'll make a deal with you Karasuba-chan. Promise me on your honor that you will stop you senseless killing. If you do then I will fight you as much as you want whenever you want. I will take on your aggression and anger and shoulder it so no one else has too. So how about it? Will you continue to kill those you fight for being weak until you have no one else? Or will you fight me to your heart's content and finally be able to go all out on an opponent who can test you?"

Karasuba was taken aback at his speech. The seriousness of it accented by his use of her name for the first time since the ramen stand. And his offer confused her. Why should she give up killing trash when it was so enjoyable? But the look in his eyes and the pain in his voice made her hesitate. This man reached the peak of his power and according to him lost his ability to be challenged by any one. Shaking her head to clear it she addressed him. "I..I will have to think about it. You're asking me to give up what makes me "me". Even if I get a strong opponent out of the deal." Tuning her back to Naruto she made her way to the exit. His final question made her pause and look over her shoulder.

"I will give you 2 days to decide, meet me back here with your answer. And one more thing Orenji-chan. Did you have fun with our little bout?"

Reflecting on his question she thought back to their fight. Turing her head to look at him over her shoulder she smiled softly and walked out of the building. She had a lot of things to think about. Nose wrinkling in disgust as she caught a whiff of her cloths she added a shower on her immediate to-do list.

Naruto watched her leave and smiled at her refusal to answer his question. Her own smile was all the answer he needed. Turing to his left he addressed the spectator who had snuck in without his sentry clones noticing and watched his fight. "Well then. Now that that's taken care of care to introduce yourself Miss?"

Stepping from the shadows a small feminine figure made her way closer to him. As the warehouse lighting finally revealed her form he let his eyes roam over her. She was a short petite woman standing about 5'3" dressed in a miko's uniform. Her long lavender hair fell to the small of her back and her pretty heart shaped face displayed a serene smile and half lidded brownish-red eyes. Eyes that looked at him as an apex predator might when faced with something it didn't know how to classify as either food or a rival. When she spoke her voice was light and sounded like music to his ears, but her tone also held a strength of someone used to being obeyed. "You noticed me did you? I was certain that I had concealed myself, "that" woman definitely didn't sense me." Walking with a grace he'd seldom seen in anyone not trained in the martial arts or some sorts, she stopped about 6 feet from him before continuing.

"Miya. Asama Miya" Bowing slightly with her introduction. "And who might you be?"

Grinning at the beautiful Sekirei, and she had to be another Sekirei by her beauty and power he replied. "Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto at your service."

End


	5. Chapter 5

**It took a while to finish this chapter since I've come back from Tokyo. I had to get back into the swing of things at work and get caught up at home as well. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. If I did I would have a smarter Naruto and a Harem style anime where the main character actually wants to bang all the girls and doesn't run from them. **

Chapter 5

Asama Miya was on the prowl.

Yesterday while performing routine chores around her Inn she felt a strange feeling creep up within her. One moment she was gathering laundry and admonishing some of her tenants for breaking her "No Illicit Relations" rule yet again, the next she stopped mid lecture and her awareness drifted out from her Inn and seemed to focus on something to the south. She had never felt this before and consequently couldn't identify what it was. The feeling was almost like a spot of warmth on her mind and with every turn of her head the feeling "moved" for a lack of a better term from one side of her mind to another. After turning a slow circle she came to the conclusion that this "warmth" was felt always pointed south. Ignoring the petrified forms at her feet she walked to the back porch and turned to the south.

Extending all her senses she focused in the direction this "feeling" was coming from and after a moment she felt the familiar tingling that indicated someone was throwing around a lot of power. Whatever it was it didn't last. Soon the feeling disappeared from her mind as did the sense or power that emanated from the south. Reflecting on what she felt she deduced that someone or something did something to pop up on her "radar" and was strong enough to be felt despite the distance between them. Though the feeling disappeared she felt a lingering echo that if she focused on, continued to point her to the heart of the city. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to determine what could have caused it. Did Minaka uncover some new tech from her ship that could provide a boost to one on his pet Sekirei? Maybe it was a type of drug used on one of her siblings that hadn't been released yet? Shaking her head she made a mental note to have Matsu see if she could find anything in MBI's databases and returned to her chores.

Then today she felt that feeling again while she was sweeping the yard. Only this time the feeling was even stronger and much closer. The warmth was back, seemingly emanating from within her mind only instead of a warm feeling, it felt like a blast from a furnace. Demanding her attention and this time she couldn't ignore the urge to seek out whatever was causing this. So with a distracted mind she dropped her broom and leapt over the perimeter wall and followed the strange feeling as she headed further into the city.

After an hour of walking she crossed into the industrial sector and found herself threading her way between warehouses and the odd construction based business until she came to what looked like a large block of abandoned buildings. The intense feeling in her mind was nearly overpowering now, stopping her quest for the moment she drew upon her iron will and quelled the clouding effect it had on her mind, without knowing what she would find she needed to be on her game and not distracted. Now feeling more in control of herself she took better stock of her surroundings. It was just in time too. Across the street was the largest warehouse in this district and from within she heard faint sounds of a fight and flashes of the power she felt. And storming up to the main doors to that warehouse was the current person on top of her **Shit List**. Karasuba, Sekirei #04 the Black Sekirei and one of the few people that she would have no issue with killing given a reason.

But this wasn't the same woman who served under her while she led the 1st generation of the Disciplinary Squad. The Karasuba she knew was calm, laid back even when emitting her bloodlust. This Karasuba stormed up to the door with none of her usual grace and her face was set in a fierce scowl. She also was without her normal haori or sword. And she almost chuckled at the ridiculous color she dyed her hair and bizarre marks on her face. She was apparently distracted about something as she didn't detect Miya's presence.

Miya watched as Karasuba threw the doors open and stalked inside. Calling on all of her training and experience at hiding her vast power she crept closer to the warehouse. Her sharp eyes picked up multiple forms hiding in the shadows at various places surround the building, looking like sentries posted on watch. Noting their locations she found a blind spot in their coverage and darted through it and slipped into an open window. Hiding in the shadows of the empty shipping crates she came upon Karasuba again. And she was engaged in a viscous fistfight with a blond haired man that she had never seen before.

She assumed he was a Sekirei from his prowess in hand-to-hand combat, coupled with the familiar grey Disciplinary Squad haori and a sheathed nodachi at his hip it was easy to assume he was one of her younger brothers. And quite skilled too and she watched him toy with Karasuba like she was nothing. Maybe she was kicked from the squad and the blonde was her replacement? It would explain why he was wearing the haori and Karasuba wasn't. Maybe Minaka finally decided she was more trouble than she was worth? But still for one of her younger double and maybe even triple digit siblings having the skill and power to outclass a single digit Sekirei like Karasuba was disturbing. Had Minaka found a way to artificially boost a Sekirei's power? As she focused more on the blonde she felt the heat flash again even stronger than before nearly causing her to lose control and give herself away. Clearly this man was the source of the heat raging inside her mind and the power she both yesterday and earlier today.

Soon Karasuba broke off her assault and after exchanging words with the man he pulled his sword off his hip and Miya's eyes widened bit when the air around the sheath shimmered before driving the base of the sword sheath several inches in the concrete floor with no effort whatsoever and leapt back from the blade allowing Karasuba to rush forward and seize it and renew her assault on the blonde.

Miya stood in shock at the following battle. Karasuba had always been skilled and had power not unlike her own and it was clear that she had gotten even stronger since the last time she watched Karasuba fight. But watching her battle this new Sekirei who fought on the same level as Karasuba was a humbling affair. Now there were two Sekirei who were closing the gap in power and skill to reach Miya's level. Was her decision to hang up her sword wrong after all? How long had it been since she truly trained herself outside of light sword play to maintain her skills? 5 years. It's been 5 years since she last confronted Karasuba and at that time the gap in skill and power was substantial, she had written Karasuba off as no threat to her. Now seeing the level these two Sekirei fought at it was clear that Karasuba would reach her level in a couple more years if she grew in strength at the same pace.

Miya was violently shaken from her thoughts when Karasuba managed to get the upper hand and impale the blonde on her sword. Seeing him bent over in pain Miya felt like someone took a hammer to her as she swore that she felt his pain. Stumbling in shock she barely managed to keep herself upright and before she could rush out and help him he exploded. Face frozen in horror she felt like a part of her had just died along with the blonde. Stumbling forward she came to the end of the row of crates but before she reveal herself she heard a shout from across the warehouse.

_**Futon: Renkudan no Jutsu! **_

A ball of air was launched from deeper in the warehouse and slammed into Karasuba, knocking her off of her feet and flat on her back. Stunned she whipped her head to the source of the attack only to see the blonde completely unharmed. Barely containing her relief at seeing this man unharmed and not dead she watched as his hands flew through some strange motions then called out another strange name. Suiton? Water?

_**Suiton: Teppodama no Jutsu!**_

Her jaw almost dropped when he spat a ball of compressed water at high speed towards Karasuba. Recovering in time she rolled out-of-the-way and both women were shocked at the damage to the concrete the water caused. A second attack was dodged before Karasuba recovered enough to slice the 3rd attack in half, both halves flowing harmlessly around her.

Not bothered by his ineffective attacks the blonde smirked and with hands flying through more motions dropped to a knee and slammed his hands on the ground and shouted.

_**Doton: Yomi Numa! **_

Miya once again had to force her jaw from dropping as muddy swamp sprung up from under the concrete and surged towards Karasuba. She tried to avoid the attack but after leaping in the air she soon had nowhere else to land and came down with a splash into the swamp and sank to her knees. Karasuba tried to escape but couldn't free herself from the mud and after a few moments she gave up. Surprising Miya as Karasuba rarely gave up in a fight.

Wind, water and earth? How can a Sekirei control more than one element? Gathering herself Miya crept as close as she dared and listened to their conversation that followed. Listening to the blonde speak struck a chord deep within her, all of her fights had been filled with senseless violence and bloodshed. Was it possible to fight for enjoyment and not for bloodshed?

Miya wasn't the only one shaken by his speech. To a stranger Karasuba looked indifferent to his story, but Miya could tell that Karasuba was focusing intently on his words. Karasuba's exit brought Miya back to the present as she did her best to pull herself together and was about to address the blonde when he beat her to it.

"Well then. Now that that's taken care of care to introduce yourself Miss?"

Impressed that he knew she was there Miya adopted her patented smile and gracefully walked out into the open coming to a stop at a polite distance.

"Miya. Asama Miya" Bowing slightly with her introduction. "And who might you be?"

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto at your service."

Now that she was this close Miya got her first good look at her younger brother. He stood at least a full head taller than her and his broad shoulders and lithe frame hinted to his prowess in battle. He was dressed oddly for a Sekirei, wearing faded blue jeans and tennis shoes and a plain t-shirt under his Disciplinary Squad haori. Unlike the previous incarnations of squad members who draped it over their shoulders he wore it belted to his waist with his left arm in the sleeve but the right side hanging loose behind his back. His most striking features though were his cerulean blue eyes and brilliant blonde hair framing a lean handsome face adorned with what looked like whiskers on each cheek.

It took all of her self control to not blush after her inspection. Something she was still confused over. Being this close to him had her burning up inside, something that should be impossible. If she didn't know any better than she would swear that she was reacting to this man. But it couldn't be. Sekirei didn't react to their own kind. Only Ashikabi brought out these kind of feelings. It went against everything she knew.

Focusing back on the blonde she attempted to get some answers. "Well Uzumaki-san. I was impressed with your fight with _**that **_woman. I was unaware of any other little birds capable of fighting at her level, and to use multiple elemental attacks too. Tell me, how is it that you can fight like that? Part of your adjusting with MBI maybe?"

Eyes fixed on the beauty before him Naruto picked up some strange things from her. She appeared calm and collected, hiding behind a welcoming smile but underneath he detected subtle twitches in her body language coupled with the fleeting emotions flashing behind her piercing eyes gave him the impression that she was struggling with something. After listening to her talk Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion at her comment.

"Little bird? Lady I've been called some strange things in my life but I can't remember ever being called a bird. What are you comparing me to?"

Miya blinked at his response. Did he not know of his heritage? Maybe it was kept from him during his adjustment process. But what would that serve?

"Do you not know what you are? Do you not know that you're a Sekirei? Like that woman you were fighting a few minutes ago?" Miya questioned gently before jumping slightly when he burst out laughing.

Naruto couldn't help but to laugh. It was pretty funny being called a Sekirei but after calming down he thought that to someone who obviously knew of Sekirei's to think he was one of them.

"I think your mistaken Asama-san. I'm no Sekirei, I'm human; an Ashikabi actually." Turning from Miya Naruto called out to Akitsu and in a flash she was at his side studying the new comer intently. Wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close Naruto turned back to Miya. "This is my Sekirei Asama-san, #07 Akitsu-chan. I winged her a couple days ago. Akitsu-chan this is Asama Miya-san. Apparently she thinks I'm a Sekirei. Akitsu gave a brief nod to Miya, pressing herself as close as she could against her Ashikabi.

Miya reeled in shock at Naruto's claim. _Ashikabi? How is that possible? No human can use a Sekirei's abilities. If he is as he claims then.. Oh no._Shock and horror caused Miya to stumble back and sink to her knees, the heat building up within her now raged like an inferno and with his claim of being an Ashikabi she could now identify what she was feeling. _I'm... I'm reacting to him! But how? I'm the 8__th__ pillar. The Sekirei charged with watching over my people. I was told it would be impossible for me to be winged to prevent anyone from gaining control over my siblings. _

Unknown to any other surviving member of their race, (or anyone other than Miya for that matter) Miya and her 7 peers underwent specific genetic modifications before evacuating their homeworld. Chosen for their strength and unflinching devotion to the survival of their race they made the ultimate sacrifice, they would forever be unable to be winged. Unwilling to risk a potential Ashikabi from an unknown race perverting the bond between Ashikabi and their Sekirei to dominate them using the strength of the 8 pillars to control the rest. It was one of many safe guards the remaining leaders devised before the fall of their world. There were times when Miya wished for nothing else but to winged by her late husband. To experience the joy of the bond and all that came with it. But no matter how much she might have wished for it, she was resigned to spending her life with Takehito like a human. It was all she could give him.

And now the very reaction she wished so hard to have now ran through her. And She was terrified and angry. _Why? Why him and not Takehito? How can I react to another man other than the one I pledged my life and love to?_ Miya started trembling and shaking her head, heart and body conflicted with this revelation. And for the first time since she was awakened from her long slumber through the void, Miya didn't know what to do. When she felt the source of her confusion place a hand on her shoulder she looked up and after meeting his eyes she felt her control snap and gave into the emotion that was currently in the lead in the battle raging internally. Anger.

_Was it something I said?_

After identifying himself as a Ashikabi to the beauty in front of him, Naruto didn't expect her to react so strongly. Her face went ashen and her eyes widened almost comically even as she stumbled backwards then fell to her knees. Shortly afterwards she began shaking like a leaf and tossing her head side-to-side and muttering under her breath. Now concerned he walked closer and knelt in front of her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Asama-san? Whats wrong?" Miya's head whipped up to stare at him the moment his hand touched her and her eyes bored into his with a frightening intensity. Naruto could see the storm raging within them but before he could speak again her shaking stopped as suddenly as it began and her eyes hardened into a look he new all to well. Instinctively performing a **Kawarimi **he replaced himself with one of his clones that was hidden in the rafters above a heartbeat before Miya's hand blurred out and struck his clone in the chest hard enough that he heard at least 2 ribs breaking before the clone disappeared. Dropping down from his position he landed just in front of Akitsu he kept himself ready for anything.

"What the hell was that for? I was only trying to help."

Eyes narrowing further at her target going up in a puff of smoke Miya eyed Naruto from his new position then lunged forward hands poised to strike at Naruto with a knife-hand attack. Naruto slipped a hand around Akitsu's waist and jumped backwards away from his new opponent. It was a feint, as soon as Naruto jumped backwards Miya altered her course to the right and her form blurred with her speed as she went for her true target. Coming to a stop next to the sheathed nodachi she pulled the blade free and settled into a Kenjutsu stance.

Never taking his focus off of Miya, Naruto ordered Akitsu to fall back to a safe distance despite her protest and two kunai slid back into his hand as he took the fight to her. Miya met him halfway and her sword flashed out and cut cleanly through the kunai in his left hand when he attempted to block the strike. Surprised at her skill and strength Naruto barely dodged the follow up strike that was meant to remove his head then lunged forward under her guard aiming for a disabling strike to her arms.

It would have worked against Karasuba. His attack was faster than anything he used in his earlier fight and Naruto knew that Miya was stronger based on what he sensed before, and when she went for the blade he knew she was also a swordswoman and made a calculated guess as to her skill and speed based on what he sensed her level to be. Therefore he was caught flat-footed when she disappeared completely and reappeared on his right side where he couldn't immediately defend from with his last attack, her sword blurred and Naruto was bifurcated.

Proving her worth as a combatant Miya didn't lower her guard and after a second the 2 pieces of Naruto went up in smoke even as she slowly turned in a circle looking for Naruto to pop back up. Sensing an attack Miya spun around and thrust her sword through another Naruto that crept up behind her. This Naruto also went up in smoke but instead of disappearing her sword was now piercing a large block of broken concrete and was unprepared for the sudden weight and her sword dropped to the ground before she could adjust her balance. Naruto struck in that brief moment when she was off balance and appeared inside her guard and drove his fist into her stomach trying to knock her out with the strongest bow he could land without chakra re-enforcement.

Miya gagged and coughed up blood but she refused to go down. Power surged through her as she called upon her own vast power and brought her blade around with surprising speed and struck at Naruto but smashed into the concrete instead when he dodged. The blow cracked the floor around her and also shattered the concrete weight on her blade, freeing it from its added weight.

Once again the two combatants met in a flurry of attacks as Miya used every once of skill she had to cut down her opponent, her sword was invisible to the naked eye with the speed she possessed. But Naruto had fought better fighters in his time. Miya couldn't hope to match Sasuke's lethal precision nor Killer Bee's sheer ridiculous multiple sword style and while he was at a slight disadvantage with only hs remaining kunai that he was forced to channel wind chakra through, that just meant that he had to get creative.

Ducking, dodging and deflecting all of her attacks Naruto couldn't help but be impressed with her skill. Miya was much faster than Karasuba was, stronger too as she was able to cleanly slice right through his kunai in the opening attack. But she also fought with the same sword style as Karasuba so he was already used to her form to an extent. He could only guess that they had been trained together or one was trained by the other, either way Naruto wasn't worried about this fight other then how to end it without hurting her too bad.

Deflecting an overhead slash Naruto capitalized on the temporary opening to land a devastating kick to Miya's chest that launched her away giving him more breathing room.

_I know she watched how I took out Karasuba so it'd be in her best interests to keep me engaged at close range to prevent me from launching any ninjutsu, so why is she taking her time?_

Across the room Miya was down on one knee, one hand clutching her chest the other still gripping her sword. Her eyes never left his though as she maintained her chilling stare with him. Standing up with more grace than he would think she had in her condition Naruto narrowed his eyes when she didn't move to engage him right away. Raising the sword above her head she focused her power and with a yell brought her blade down in a vicious slash releasing a powerful shockwave that tore the foundation of the warehouse up and traveled at an incredible speed right at Naruto.

Sensing the power behind the attack Naruto channeled chakra through his body and disappeared in a burst of speed away from the attack and to the other side of the warehouse creating more space between them. Miya's attack blew threw the warehouse wall and continued on to the next warehouse, and the next, then the next. Jaw dropping at the sheer destructive power behind the attack and even with his enhanced eyesight he couldn't see where Miya's attack ended, only the destroyed buildings and the trench that preceded them. Whipping back around to Miya he couldn't help but grin at the challenge that lay before him.

_And people said __**MY **__attacks were big and flashy. _He thought.

Taking a deep breath Naruto "flexed" his chakra and allowed it to run full throttle, a blue haze burst to life around him as he prepared to deal with Miya's next attack, hands already raised above her head to swing down and release another blast.

_If I dodge her attack who knows what will kind of damage she can do, and without knowing how far her attack can reach that means a lot of potential people could be hurt. I have to block it or deflect it. _

Miya swung and unleashed her second attack. Naruto flashed through hand-seals faster than could be seen and once more dropped to his knees and slammed his hands on the ground.

**Doton: Doryuheki!**

His chakra surged into the ground and from it sprung a slab of hardened earth 15ft tall by 10ft wide, 5 ft thick at the bottom and 2ft at the top forming a makeshift ramp.

Miya's attack slammed into his barrier and the energy followed the path of least resistance and was channeled from the base to the top before the residual energy blasted out at an angle into the sky, obliterating the roof completely from the warehouse. Once all the energy dissipated Naruto flew through more seals and slammed his hands on the wall.

**Doton: Retsudotensho! **

The wall of earth shattered into hundreds of deadly looking shards that were propelled with great force back at Miya. Seeing his attack she darted to the side to avoid the deadly shrapnel but lost sight of Naruto in the process. Sliding to a stop she tensed at his voice as another attack barreled at her from behind.

**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!**

Eyes widening at the massive fireball that sped her way Miya jumped up to the what was left of the ceiling rafters to escape the searing heat and flames. Not to be outdone Miya prepared to launch another shockwave when her instincts screamed and she dodged to the side in time to avoid a blow to her head and lashed out at Naruto's overextended form causing him to go up in a puff of smoke. But she didn't see the piece of debris at her feet that puffed into smoke to reveal another Naruto holding a swirling mass of energy in his palm being thrust at her. Eyes wide at seeing Naruto holding a ball of energy she tried to dodge but he was too close and too fast.

**Rasengan!**

His attack slammed unto her midsection with devastating force. Shredding her clothing and lifting her off of her feet and driving her clear across the warehouse while spinning uncontrollably before slamming into the wall hard enough to create a human indention. Eyes wide in horror and pain she vomited up blood as she slowly lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was Naruto crouched on the beam she came from, looking no worse for wear and not even winded. _How...how did he beat me..did he..did he not even try..._ She thought as her vision blurred and she finally succumb to her injuries, her eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp, still stuck in the wall.

Hopping down to the ground Naruto slowly walked over to the downed Sekirei and looked over her with a critical eye. Pushing the sight of one of the now exposed best pair of breasts that he had even seen to the back of his mind he waked up the wall and gently dug her out and walked back down and placed her on the ground and assessed her injuries. She bore the familiar spiral patterned wound on her abdomen and severe bruising with some minor lacerations around the wound. Placing his hands on her chest he slowly and gently traced over her ribs looking for breaks or fractures. Finding a few of the latter he moved his inspection on and found more minor injuries he concluded that she could be transported safely.

Calling for Akitsu to re-join him he went to work prepping her to be moved.

**x~X~x**

Matsu was worried. Nobody had seen Miya since lunch. Uzume said Miya went outside to do chores but hadn't seen her since. When Musubi and Tsukiumi returned from their daily grocery run/race Matsu asked if they had seen Miya while they were out. When they replied that they hadn't she asked them to search the grounds outside for any signs of her since Matsu couldn't leave the house. Musubi returned a short time later holding a broom.

"Matsu-chan, I found this outside in the yard. Do you think Miya-san was using it and forgot to put it up?"

"I don't think that Miya-tan would just leave the broom outside and not put it up. You know how neat she is. If she did leave it then something must have happened. " Now Matsu was really concerned. It wasn't like Miya to up and leave like that without letting someone know.

"Matsu-chan! Come quick, there's something on the news." Minato's voice called to her from the hidden cameras in the dining area.

Rushing downstairs she joined her Ashikabi and the rest of her sister Sekirei along with Uzume and Kagari as they gathered around Minato and the TV.

"...We still have no word on what caused this devastating destruction that tore a path through the Kawaguchi industrial sector. Initial reports suggested ruptured gas lines that were buried, were ruptured and caused a cascade chain reaction but city officials are not commenting at this time. All we know is that the damage stretches from the warehouse district to the Arakawa river over 4 miles away. We have no word on casualties at the moment but there are confirmed reports of severe injuries and rescue teams are still digging in the rubble around know occupied buildings. All roads and train stations are closed off until further notice..."

Matsu went white as a ghost when the camera panned to an aerial view of the damage and she knew without a doubt that Miya was responsible.

"Minato-tan! You need to send Musubi and Tsukiumi to that area at once. Miya-tan was there and she might need help."

Blinking in confusion at his Sekirei's panicked order he looked briefly at Musubi and Tsukiumi and seeing their confusion addressed Matsu.

"What do you mean Matsu? Why would Miya-san be there? And how would you know that she was there to begin with?"

Trying to reign in her panic she reached out and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close.

"We don't have time for that! Just trust me on this. If Miya was there then something serious happened and we need to find her. I can't leave the house so that leaves Musubi and Tsukiumi to go check it out. "

"We'll go too, if Miya is involved then I'm not sitting on the sidelines." Stated Uzume while Kagari nodded his consent.

"Wait, Kagari too? But what can he do?" Minato's confusion would have been cute at any other time but right now Matsu was too worked up. "I'll explain later, just hurry up and go already!"

Shrinking back a bit at he outburst Minato and his Sekirei nodded and the girls took off with Uzume and Kagari on their heels.

Grabbing her Ashikabi's hand she literality dragged in up to her room and dropped him then dove for her computers, hands and fingers blurring as she typed at a furious pace looking for any info on the net.

_I hope you're OK Miya-tan. If you were forced to use __**THAT **__attack then shit has hit the fan. Please be alright. _

**x~X~x**

It was a somber group of Sekirei that arrived back home hours later. Having tracked their progress via hacked satellites she met them at the entrance way anxious for any news, she opened her mouth ready to fire off her questions only to have her train of thoughts derailed at what Kagari was carrying.

Held in his arms like a delicate item was a heavily damaged and bloodied white haori, the entire front portion was shredded and from where she was standing she could just make out the embroidered Japanese character on the inside just beneath the tag that Matsu knew too well. "Asama". Miya liked her clothing to bare her late husbands name to help honor his memory.

Dropping to her knees Matsu let out a strangled sob at what remained of her closest friend and former leader. Kagari dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders even as he himself teared up. Letting out a wail Matsu buried her face in his shoulder and cried. The cry alerted Minato who came from deeper in the house and upon seeing Matsu's condition he ran forward and wrapped his arms around her.

This triggered the rest of the housemates to group together as they held each other and let their grief over the loss of someone they each care about.

**x~X~x**

Pain was the first thing she was aware up when Miya slowly regained consciousness. Miya liked to think she was no stranger to pain, both physical and emotional but what she was feeling now made her feel like a child, she had never felt so much in her life. Biting back a whimper as more injuries made themselves known she struggled to open her eyes and find out where she was. Soft light streamed from the decorative wall sconces mounted along the wall and the posh decor she could see told her she was in a private room instead of a hospital. Someones home maybe?

Voices alerted her to others present in the room and with great effort she managed to turn her head enough to the side to see Naruto arguing with, no being berated by a small cloaked figure speaking with a throaty but distinct female voice. Ignoring the female fo the moment she gazed at Naruto as sat on his knees in seiza hands clenched on his thighs with his head down and a sheepish expression on his face as he nodded and muttered apologies to the female that was chewing him out.

Seeing him again brought back the rush of emotions from earlier but to her surprise the anger she had felt was gone. In its place was a longing to be closer to him. Any doubt about him being her Ashikabi was laid to rest after their fight. Allowing herself an internal chuckle she couldn't help but think that the one person who was capable of winging her was also capable of defeating her in a fight. And defeat her he did. Miya may have given into her anger but she brought to the table every bit of skill, speed and strength she had in her attempt to kill him. The fact he could keep up with her with just a knife was surprising, especially after she eliminated the first one so easily she thought she had him. But his remaining bade remained strong despite her attempts to remove it, and she would bet her Inn that it had something to do with the haze that surrounded it after their initial clash. While she had the edge in reach Naruto had no real problem matching her. His

His fight with Karasuba showed that he had the ability to go toe-to-toe with a swordsman, but the level of speed he demonstrated in his fight with her was as different as night and day compared to what he used against herself. It didn't take someone with Matsu's genius to realize that he was holding back in his fight with that despicable woman, and given that she never landed a clean blow herself she could only assume he was holding back against her aswell.

The most chilling thought came from witnessing Naruto avoid her strongest attack with little effort, and then watching him use an earth technique that made anything Mutsu could manage look like an untrained infant, deflect her followup attack harmlessly into the sky was simply mind-blowing. Just how much power did he have at his disposal?

A wave of exhaustion washed over her and coupled with the pain she was in she couldn't fight off the blackness creeping back into her vision. Eyes trailing over to the cloaked female one last time she finally got a good look at her. Confusion and disbelief caused her to let off an involuntarily gasp that caught the attention of the very person she was looking at. Alerted that she was awake the cloaked figure appeared at her side after a short hop and laid a tiny webbed hand on her forehead. Miya could feel a soothing wave wash over her and as the pain subsided she finally fell back asleep. _A frog? I must be hurt worse than I thought. _

End.

I hope to have the next chapter out in a week and it we'll finally see Naruto at Izumo Inn.

Jutsu translation list

**Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)**

**Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Gunshot)**

**Futon: Renkudan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)**

**Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth Wall)**

**Doton: Retsudotensho! (Earth Release: Split Earth Turn Around Palm) **

**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)**

**Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)**


End file.
